


Lessons in Life

by darkryuu



Series: Legacy [8]
Category: Harvest Moon
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-25
Updated: 2013-05-25
Packaged: 2017-12-06 12:03:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 30
Words: 231,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/735410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkryuu/pseuds/darkryuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yagami Kyo, Elli's son, thought he was pulling off the perfect crime to keep his mother off his back... Kyo (OC offspring of Elli and farmer) x Gwen from Hero of Leaf Valley, Magical Melody, and Save the Homeland.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lesson One

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer for ‘Lessons in Life’: I don’t own Harvest Moon or any of the attached characters. I however do hold rights to the original characters.
> 
> Author’s Note: So here is Kyo’s story, the title having been changed from ‘At the Bar’ to ‘Lessons in Life’ (LiL). The original story was going to be Kyo’s adventures at cleaning up his life, not being a modern nomad, and starting to settle down, all whilst wooing a barmaid (at one point having been Kathy (Cathy?) from Tree of Tranquility/Animal Parade. This was edited because, well, she was supposed to be a promiscuous feisty vixen type…and I think Roomi did the trick for that category.
> 
> The story has been edited three times, really, because even our female protagonist (changed because I don’t know what Kathy is like) in this one had that same mentality…but decided, eh, let’s try something else…
> 
> I am going to address her personality in next chapter because, well, it’s slightly a belief of mine that some may disagree with. It’s not religious, I wouldn’t touch that with a 100-foot-pole, but it is a way of thinking and…yea. We’ll discuss it later, for now, enjoy XD

“ _Hey-y-y, big brother.”_

_Yagami Jyun cocked a brow as Yagami Kyo grinned at him anxiously, “Mind if I crash here for the night?”_

_Jyun, 21 at the time, rolled his eyes, “What have you done?”_

“ _Mom’s trying to put me in an arranged marriage again” he sighed_

_Jyun snorted, gliding by him in his office chair, picking up some papers off his desk, “That’s really dumb. You're too young.”_

_Kyo dropped the folder beside Jyun, sighing and slumping on the couch. Jyun frowned and picked up the folder, blinking, “Well, she’s hot.”_

“ _Oh yea, I’d tap that. If only mom wasn’t trying to make her my wife.”_

“ _Who even does arranged marriages anymore?” Jyun sighed._

“ _Got me. I blame you though. She’s only doing this because you swore off marriage and whatever” Kyo grumbled._

_His older brother rolled his eyes, turning back to the internship project he was working on, “Well, whatever, she should just get over it. If I want to get married, she’s not going to effin’ force me.”_

“ _I bet you will though” Kyo teased, “She’ll probably destroy everything though. No drinking, no sex. She'll become the ol’ ball and chain.”_

“ _Yea, exactly why it’s not happening. I’m incapable of love.”_

_Kyo rolled his eyes around. Yea, sure. Kyo had actually started to believe him back then. He’d hated it since his mother pressured him to have a normal relationship in his brother’s stead and he wasn’t in any rush. Jyun just made things complicated with his ‘I’m a player Casanova for life’ personality._

…Or so Kyo had _thought._

Yagami Elli was sitting in front of him, looking stern, serious, upset. She had her arms crossed and he knew exactly where this was going. 

His player Casanova for life brother fell in love. 

The lucky lady was Seiwa Roomi, Jyun's secretary, a woman that Kyo wouldn’t have even hallucinated would make his older brother so infatuated. But getting to know her better, hell, even _he’d_ been infatuated. She was, well, hot. And sex crazy? She was a dream. 

Kyo guessed he had thought he liked her a lot more than he had, in a more relationship sense, and had attempted to go for it but Roomi was in love with Jyun, who, at the time, was against love. Their ‘relationship’ at the time called for her not to be. That just pissed him off. 

But strange thing happened: Jyun started falling in love too. For thirteen years, Jyun said he’d never love and he loved her? How was Kyo supposed to intrude on that? Besides, he started seeing her as more a sister. A really hot sister but eh. 

From his understanding, Jyun waited to tell her his feelings because of an agreement with her grandmother, something Kyo would never understand but it was his brother, it wouldn’t be the first time. And for the two years that followed, Roomi was a lot like a girlfriend to Jyun. They went on vacation with each other alone, he treated her birthday like a national holiday, he doted. 

But in the last six months, she was snatched away. She was set to marry another man, some dick named Jouji or something… 

…His brother was crushed. 

The man had come to his house, broken and looking close to weeping, questioning why he’d been so dumb? Why had he waited? Why hadn’t he realized his feeling sooner? Why did she leave him? He was an emotional wreck. He quit his job as a photographer at the magazine that Roomi’s sister owned after finishing out four months worth of magazine pictures for her first. Nicer than what Kyo would have done, honestly but he left his apartment, abandoned his stuff in their parent’s basement, and packed a small duffel bag. 

Kyo would never forget that haggard look he gave his pleading mother and father, that look like nothing even mattered anymore. They demanded to know where he was going? Why he was leaving? Jyun, sober, methodical, responded: 

“ _I’ll call when I find where I need to be.”_

Now, his mother was giving him that look. He smiled nervously. So it didn’t seem to matter whether his brother was denying love or was in love, he got screwed over. 

“I want you to meet her” Elli said simply. 

“I don’t.” 

He supposed he couldn’t blame this entirely on Jyun. Inaba Kurt and Joe were speaking about their really strange cousin. Her mother was their mom’s sister, their aunt, and the woman was losing her mind, thinking her older daughter would never find a man. That’s where _he_ came in. 

He didn’t want a really strange person if he did want to be hooked up with someone in the first place. His mother seemed insistent. 

“There’s a catch though” the woman sighed. 

“Which is?” he groaned. 

“Well, you’re pretty much required to marry her.” 

Kyo stared at his mother for a long moment before questioning: “What?” 

“One thing led to another as we were talking and next thing I knew, we kind of agreed” Elli remarked, “… For you.” 

“ _Mother_ , I am 28 freakin’ years old, you can’t _decide_ who I marry!” 

Elli looked sad, “But your brother left because he was hurt and I just want what’s best for you…” 

“ _I'll_ decide that!” Kyo growled before flying to his feet, “Forget it. I’ll meet her but you can’t force me to marry her!” 

“It’d be so embarrassing if you said no though” she pouted. 

“Ugh!” 

He rushed out, irritated and frustrated. This sucks. Suck, suck, suck. 

…Married? Really…? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Top me off, Hayden…” Kyo groaned. 

The burly bartender cocked a brow, “This is the most I’ve seen you drink without passing out. What’s wrong?” 

“Everything” he groaned again. 

The man was about to comment but had to go tend to a few other customers. Kyo sighed and rubbed his brow. Tomorrow… 

It wasn’t like he was inclined to marry someone he didn’t know but he did sometimes feel responsible to his mother to do things that, well, the other two wouldn’t. He wasn’t against marriage like his brother had been, he’d just hoped to be in love with the woman he married. 

If he could just get his mother off his case for a while, just long enough for him to find the woman he really wanted to spend his life with, things would be perfect. 

Kyo heard some whispering behind him and cocked a brow over his shoulder. 

He blinked rapidly as a blonde woman walked in, dressed in the weirdest green sweater he’d ever seen, made of some kind of shaggy material, and a pair of baggy cargo pants. Her face was attractive, but what she was wearing wasn’t doing much for her body. She kind of reminded him of his Uncle Keiba with her eyes, a purple color. He wondered if they could possibly be related. 

She slammed down a seat away from him and grunted an order for a Long Island Iced Tea. He lifted his cup to his lips and glanced at her, really curious. Women rarely rolled into this place as it was comparable to walking into a lion’s den with all the drunken men. 

The mystery woman glared at him after a moment, demanding, “What?” 

He hadn’t realized he was staring and waved a hand, “Sorry. Just kind of weirded out, seeing a woman daring enough to come in here.” 

  
“What is _that_ supposed to mean?” she growled. 

“It’s a shark’s nest” Kyo said without missing a beat though noting she sounded offended, “Drunken men aren’t exactly the savory type, y’know?” 

She grunted what may have been construed as agreement, “Honestly, I would never walk into a place like this but I needed a drink.” 

Kyo nodded absently and Hayden returned with her drink which she swallowed in a matter of gulps. Kyo’s brows rose at her and she slammed her palm down on the table, growling. 

“Parents are overbearing, ludicrous, horrible individuals that take it as their _divine_ right to make sure everything’s so ‘wonderful’ for you when everything’s going okay as is. So why? Why do I need my parent’s to freakin’ butt in!?” 

Kyo nodded in avid agreement, “Tell me about it. My mom just set up an _omi-ai_ for me that I pretty much am inclined completely to agree with because they decided it was so.” 

The blonde looked at him, stunned, “Me too!” 

If he could look back now, he would have probably punched himself in the face for being so dumb but he just said, naïve and idiotic: “Huh, what a small world…” 

“Small world or just all parents are overbearing?” she grumbled. 

“Well, my dad isn’t really overbearing. It’s just my mom in this case…” 

She looked rather strange for a moment, the look she gave him, like he was just some awful person, “Of course. You’re both men, why should he expect you to fall into the formula of marriage?” 

Kyo was bewildered, “Formula of marriage…?” 

“Yes” she growled, sipping her refill, “Where the woman has to abandon her career, her life, to become a housewife and do all the cooking, cleaning, and required to have her husband’s children and sit around, twiddling her thumbs while she pops Prozac. That’s what Tomeo-sensei calls the ‘formula of marriage’.” 

“That’s a sucky ass stereotypical formula” he remarked, sipping his beer. 

She shot him an incredulous look, “And yet it’s the one so commonly followed!” 

“Well, every last woman in my family works. You may have a point, they pop out an almost obscene number of kids but I don’t ever get the idea they don’t like, enjoy them. 

And almost all of my female cousins never cook but their husbands do or it’s a balance. I never got 'housewife' from any of them…” 

She grumbled, “Then your family is in the minority.” 

“Wouldn’t be the first time” he snorted. 

“And your mother?” she muttered, “She’s in your business about marriage yet she’s a…” 

“Nurse” he shrugged, “She’s worried that in all my carousing, I’ll never settle down.” 

The blonde sent him a look, “So you’re one of those types then?” 

He shrugged again, not seeing why he had to justify himself to some random stranger, “I party, I drink, I have sex. It’s just something I enjoy so what business of any one else’s is that?” 

“Does your mother yell at you for… ‘carousing’ with women?” 

“All the time. If I felt anything for that woman, I’d pursue a relationship but it just hasn’t happened yet.” 

Then he groaned, burying his face in his hands, “And it may never happen if I agree to this marriage tomorrow.” 

“I was set to be single forever…” she remarked glumly, “But mother will never let me live it down if I don’t agree.” 

Kyo slowly thought about it before the wheels turned in his head. Wait. What if… 

“Hey” he said, lifting his face, “Let’s get married.” 

She glared at him, cocking a brow, “ _Excuse_ me?” 

“Well, think about it. We both don’t want to be married but our parents want us to. If we got married then I can continue on with my life and you can continue on with yours under that guise!” 

She looked at him like he was crazy. Which he was, but eh, “That is nuts. First off, I don’t know you and I wouldn’t be ignorant enough to live with a complete stranger.” 

“Psh, live together? That is nuts.” 

Her brows furrowed, “But what if our parent’s stopped by?” 

“We’d just set some traps, like clothes or whatever, and say that the other was out. Then we’d text, I or you would briefly show up for whatever the duration and then we’d go about our business.” 

Biting her lip, she twiddled her fingers, glowering, “You find a woman in your…carousing. What happens then?” 

“Well, we’d divorce. I mean, we would be marrying rather quickly, right? It’d be kind of expected” he shrugged, “Your parents would hate me but, I mean, it’s not like I’d ever see them again, right?” 

She looked ponderous for a moment before frowning, “That…could possibly work.” 

“Of course!” he said happily. 

“So what’s the plan for tomorrow?” she scowled. 

Kyo tapped the bar, “We go to a pawn shop tonight and get some fake rings, go register as husband and wife, then tomorrow, we just say, ‘well, actually, I was already seeing someone, I just didn’t want to tell you about it because I wasn’t sure it was serious. But when this came up, I realized they mean a lot to me so we got married last night. Sorry'.” 

An almost gleeful look crossed her face, “Oh, my parents will be so pissed…” 

He smirked and stood, “Well then, I guess we better get this in the works while everything’s still open.” 

“Right…” she glared at him suddenly, “But if this is some trap to lure me, I’ll have you know I’m a black belt.” 

Kyo snorted, “I don’t lure, _wife._ I don’t need to.” 

She rolled her eyes sharply, grunting, and leaping off the stool, paying her tab, “If I had ever thought of marrying, you’d be on the dead bottom of the list.” 

She walked away as he fished money out of his wallet and he examined her. She had a cute face but, call him shallow, he did like women that showed off their curves at least a little. He snickered. “Likewise.” 

She glowered back at him, “Since we’re getting 'married', what is your name?” 

“Yagami Kyo. Yours?” 

At first, the blonde seemed apprehensive, like it was some top secret but answered simply: 

“Gwen Douglas.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Yagami Nelly almost smirked as his son came up with some really sap tale about getting married. Elli had looked mortified but his son, whom Nelly realized he should have influenced more towards theater because he was playing his mother like a fiddle, seemed sad, stating he hadn’t wanted to disappoint her. 

“I didn’t want to rush it and then realize she’s not the one and disappoint you…” he murmured softly. 

“Sweetie” Elli cooed, holding his hands, “If I knew you were serious about someone, I wouldn’t have pressured you, honey.” 

Nelly rolled his eyes around and smirked widely as his son, mouthing ‘you’re going to hell’. Kyo stuck out his tongue at him as he hugged his mom, “Sorry.” 

“So when do I get to meet her?” Elli questioned, excited. 

“She’ll be here with her parents in a few” he nodded. 

Nelly cocked a brow, sounding so mock-excited, “Oh, her parents too? How great.” 

Kyo narrowed his eyes at his dad but smiled sweetly, “Yea, she really wants you guys to meet with them.” 

Elli clapped, “Ah! I can’t wait!” 

She stood quickly, “Let me go check on dinner! I’ll be right back!” 

As she disappeared into the kitchen, Nelly smacked Kyo in the back of the head, something the younger knew was coming. “You are an awful child, lying to your mother like that.” 

“Bah! I _am_ married” he said haughtily. 

“Yea, but I know you. You’ve done something underhanded and tricky” snorted Nelly, “Just know it’ll come back and bite you right in the ass.” 

“Don’t hate” Kyo said haughtily, “I’m just more of a mastermind at these type of things.” 

“You’re a master at something, namely screwing up. I don’t think the mind even plays a part” Nelly snickered, standing. 

Kyo started to comment when the doorbell rang. Nelly glanced over his shoulder as Elli pranced in, excited. “Is this them?” 

Kyo shrugged, not sure since, well, the door was in the way but his mother quickly answered. 

Gwen informed him that her mother, Japanese born and raised, had married an American. He was a blonde, hazel eyed man, Gwen’s mother a brunette with the purple eyes her daughter inherited. Gwen, dressed in a oversized wool sweater and what looked like riding britches and boots, had a light scowl on her face. 

“Mother, this is him.” 

Kyo was about to introduce himself, feeling he’d pulled off the perfect crime, but there was just something strange about that extremely ecstatic look his mother had and the extremely pleased look Gwen’s parents had. 

“This is so wonderful!” Elli squealed, “It’s like fate!” 

Kyo was very puzzled by this statement before Gwen’s mother smiled, content, “Indeed! I can’t believe we were so lucky. I was worried about telling you…” 

“Me too” Elli sighed, relieved. 

“…Eh?” Gwen questioned slowly. 

“Have you met before, mother?” Kyo asked, trepidation was rising in his stomach. 

“Your wife is the one we set the _omi-ai_ up with originally, honey!” Elli said, so excited, “Isn’t that ironic?” 

Kyo and Gwen stared at each other in disbelief, the color seeping from their skin as they quietly digested this news. That…meant… 

Kyo quickly laughed, keeping up the act, “O-oh, yes, very, very ironic.” 

Nelly Yagami, his ever comforting father, grinned as he placed his hands on Kyo’s shoulders, leaning in close, “And there it is.” 

Kyo smiled, tightly and queasy, nodding. That bite in the ass… 

“Hurts, don’t it?” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 


	2. Lesson Two

Gwen and Kyo stared in disbelief as their mothers giggled happily, Nelly and her father having a conversation in English. 

So he did indeed learn a lesson from all this: lying to your mother indeed would come back to haunt you sooner or later. If it didn’t, you were just lucky. 

Kyo slumped, shaking his head, “…What is this?” 

Gwen bowed her head, muttering, “…Karma?” 

“Damn it.” 

“What do we do?” she hissed, “This isn’t going to work!” 

“Well, okay, we didn’t really stick it to them but is our plan really completely out of the question though?” he whispered back. 

Gwen blinked at him, seeming to ponder, “…I suppose not. It'll keep them out of our hair. We’re alsostill kind of spontaneously married so a sudden divorce should we need it wouldn’t be that shocking.” 

“Yea, exactly. And we still don’t have to live together” he murmured, “I guess the only thing we didn’t accomplish is showing our parents to stay the hell out of our business.” 

Gwen nodded glumly and suddenly their mothers stood, Gwen’s mother grabbing her arm, “Come on, dear, let’s help with dinner.” 

Gwen looked rather disgusted but sulkily complied. Kyo blinked and the men incorporated him into their conversation. Kyo found out that her father, Lane Douglas, worked in some of the agricultural departments that his father dealt with. He was an avid horse racer and owned some of the top horses in the industry. His wife, Kano Douglas, was a bubbly housewife that hosted luncheons with her husband’s coworker’s wives. He asked Kyo rather seriously if his daughter would have to work to support them. It kind of caught him off guard…and frightened him. 

“Well, uh, I can support us” he smiled quickly, “Just I don’t see Gwen as the stay at home type…” 

Lane sighed, “True enough, true enough…” 

Gwen wandered back in, glowering, setting plates on the table. Nelly smiled, rising, his phone ringing, excusing himself. Lane crossed his arms though. “I expect you to calm my daughter’s…tendencies down a bit. She’s insisting on doing these silly courses in college.” 

Gwen sent a glare in her father’s direction that Kyo missed slightly, blinking at this claim, “Well, it’s something she wants to do. I’m not going to stop her from something she enjoys. It’s not really my place, anyway.” 

The blonde in question set the silverware on the table, her eyes raising to see her father’s response, apparently. The blond man laughed haughtily. 

“You’re a better man than me if you can put up with all that feminist theory she loves spouting!” 

Gwen glared again but this rather caught Kyo off guard. “…Feminist theory?” 

The man nodded, cocking a brow, “You really haven’t noticed?” 

“Uh, yea” Kyo laughed again, “It’s interesting.” 

… _He_ was ‘married’ to a feminist? This _was_ karma! 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _So where will you two be living?”_

_Kyo looked up, rather horrified that, well, he didn’t have an appetite. He ALWAYS had an appetite, what was this?! Then again, this situation could make the most ravenous person feel not hungry._

_But Gwen shrugged, moving her food around the plate. Elli smiled some, “Kyo has a nice apartment. I’m sure it’ll be perfect for Gwen’s classes and Kyo to continue working.”_

_Thank God his mom was starting to play a part in this lie unwittingly. But…_

“ _Apartment?” Kano said, aghast._

_Two phone calls, a hundred thousand gold pieces, magical interior designers, and a horrible four hour long after hours Crate and Barrel visit later, they were standing in a house, alone, staring at each other._

_They stared for a very, very long time before Gwen opened her mouth, “Okay, I don’t really feel I did anything wrong. However, this is probably the only time you’re going to hear it: I am so, so sorry.”_

_Kyo buried his eyes in his hands and Gwen slammed down on their bazillion dollar couch, “I was envious. Your parents were SO laid back. ‘Oh, he has an apartment that’s great for the both of them’. And then my dumbass parents come, ‘APARTMENT? Who lives in those!?’”_

_Kyo sulkily slammed down in the recliner, “My apartment ROCKED.”_

_Gwen glared at him, “What are we doing about…sleeping arrangements?”_

“ _Mm, I bribed a mover to move my bed over here and not tell anyone so we can put it in the guest room. You can have our…newlywed suite” Kyo responded._

_Gwen groaned, slouching even lower, “Why do I get the idea you’ve done this before…?”_

“ _I haven’t, believe me” he snorted._

_He stared at her as she stared absently at the huge plasma screen, about the only perk he saw out of this forced cohabitation, “So, uh, what’s your major?”_

_She glared at him, something that seemed rather common for her to do, “Women’s Studies. Why?”_

“ _Oh, just wondering” he laughed slowly, “Are you going to be an inspirational speaker?”_

_This just seemed to anger her more, “Is that all I can do as a Women’s Studies major?!”_

“ _No, no!” he insisted, “I, uh, I actually don’t really know what else you can do with that major specifically but I mean, you can do anything with any major.”_

_Gwen rose to her feet, glowering, “THAT is why I’m a Women’s Studies major. You don’t think I can do anything!”_

“ _I never said that!” he insisted, feeling anguished suddenly._

“ _Shut up! I don’t want to hear it!” she barked, stomping off to her room._

_He stared after her, gaping. What had he done?_

… _Good lord, who had he married?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

He was loathe to say it about anyone, especially a woman and, oh, his wife, but he’d married a monster. 

…Who was he kidding? She was a f—king c—t. 

Kyo hated no group and he reprimanded himself for growing anxious at first just because she was into feminism. He was a pure believer in equality across all fronts and if someone was being discriminated against for gender, race, or whatever, he was not accepting it. He’d known some pretty great women that stood for their rights and weren’t going to settle for anything less. That…that he could agree with. 

His wife, well, no, not a bit. 

Gwen represented the group of _radical_ feminism. The group that seemed to think that man practiced dominance in every way possible, including marriage and, especially, sex. Ugh, sex. They apparently were very against heterosexual sex. He’d asked if she was a lesbian then, gaining him a heart-stopping look. Well damn, if she wasn’t into men or women, was she asexual then? She looked ready to bludgeon him with a stapler. Then what the hell!? 

“It’s irrelevant” was her cool response. 

Irrelevant. Really? She’d glared at him, “I know you sick pervert's obsession with lesbian relations. I won’t play into them.” 

So that led back to base one: “So you _are_ a lesbian?” 

Boy, if looks could kill. 

It was called ‘separatism’, where women pretty much cut men completely out of their lives. He really had trouble seeing how that didn’t make them lesbians or asexual at least in some dimensions but, well, hey, whatever. 

His real problem with all this though was, well, what was this _proving_? He couldn’t see any relevance in itself in saying ‘grr, men are always inherently getting more than women, let’s cut them out of the equation rather than balance it’. 

_So_ to the males that say ‘males are the dominant lead of household, women just need to cook and have babies and have no say’, the obvious answer was ‘males are the dominant ones holding women back but really, they should have no say’. 

So that made sense how? Do unto others as they do unto you? If it’s so forward thinking, wouldn’t it be better to ask for equality rather than just cut out an entire _gender_? 

She recited a chilling tale to him about a small group that considered a male genocide. Okay, that was crazy, nuts, highly immoral and unethical if you asked him. But the hell!? What about kids? Did they want to destroy mankind? 

“ _There you have it, over evaluating your purpose” she’d rolled her eyes._

Oh, okay, he must have missed that day in school where they explained reproduction. Actually, no, no he hadn’t. In fact, he’d experimented with it often. 

“ _This is bulls—t” he finally said to her simply._

“ _Of course it is…to you” she glared at him heatedly._

“ _How can you sit here and try to justify this?” he demanded, “There is no justification, none! You hate men just like you claim men hate women. You’re not surmounting anything, you’re just turning an incorrect stereotype around to suit your needs!”_

She wasn’t buying. He was ready to smother himself with a pillow. 

Hoshiko, his baby sister, shook her head as they sat at a café, drinking lemonade, “I’m sorry.” 

“You bought into it too” he mumbled, “Explain it to me. _Enlighten_ me.” 

Hoshiko smiled lightly, shrugging, “I don’t know, I guess it’s easier to blame things on men or race or whatever. I’m not saying it doesn’t occur, I’m just saying at some point it has to stop. And to stop it, I would hope mankind wouldn’t need to eradicate one group or the other. Talking never hurt anybody.” 

Kyo nodded in agreement before glaring deeply, “She jacks on mom _all_ the time. ‘Your mother bought into the patriarchal hierarchy being the housewife, having the children, doing all the work, blah, blah, blah…’.” 

Hoshiko pondered over that, “It all seems so conspiratorial. I’m not going to say all women are happy in that role, but some women are happy in that role. When will we stop judging what makes people happy? Even beliefs like feminism are against things that seem to make some people happy.” 

He didn’t know. Gwen just seemed to be hyper against the establishment. She was like a crazy hippy. 

He’d asked her about love. Obviously not between _them_ but in general. She’d glared and said that less radical feminists were actually okay with sex and romance and whatnot. She, on the other hand, would have no such relationship with men. 

“Then _why_ didn’t you just tell your parents you were gay or something instead of marrying me?” he demanded. 

“I was a little drunk.” 

Blame it on the alcohol. 

Kyo sat on the couch, exhausted both mentally and physically. He worked all day, came home, and his ‘wife’ pretty much yelled at him about how worthless he was. Pretty damn worthless indeed, since he did all the cleaning and whatever. He was ready to point out that this wasn’t equality because he might as well be her servant. Oh wait, she was a _radical._ She didn’t want _equality_ , she wanted him _dead_. 

The woman came out in those awful, awful puke green cargo pants and a grossly oversized t-shirt under a massive camo military jacket. He was ready to run for his life, she might be starting an insurgency. 

“I’m going to a meeting tonight” she grunted. 

Thank God. “Okay.” 

“If my parents call, just make something up” she grumbled, pulling on her brown sneakers at the door. 

Brown sneakers and a black shirt? What a faux pas! Argh, he was ending up being the woman in this ‘relationship’. Wait, was that sexist? Oh God! 

Rubbing his temples, he remarked, “I’ll tell them the truth.” 

She remarked rather snidely as she left: “Huh, I didn’t think men were capable of that.” 

Kyo screamed through gritted teeth, nearly ripping their Bombay pillow in half. Who was the one that just said ‘if my parents call, lie’? He needed to get out of there, he thought, mortified. He’d become a serial killer if he didn’t run. Swallowing, he frowned as someone knocked on the door. Oh, please don’t be that psycho woman… 

“Kyo, I’ve missed you.” 

Relieved, he slouched, “Vivi…” 

Vivi, an exotic woman with white hair and amber eyes, looked sad. She was kind of his 'booty call' of sorts. Which was probably a problem but they both agreed to the sentiment. “What’s this I hear about you being _married_?” 

“It’s a long story” he groaned, reaching out and hugging her. 

“You’re the adulterous type?” she purred. 

“It’s a long story” he stated again, nearly crying, “She’s going to kill me, Vivi, absolutely kill me!” 

“Poor baby” she cooed, closing the door behind her. 

“Hold me…” 

Vivi smiled secretively, “I have a better idea.” 

Kyo blinked as she peeled his shirt over his head, kissing his chest passionately, “Is your wife here?” 

“Nope” Kyo closed his eyes, “She’ll be gone for a while…” 

She grinned, taking his hand, “Then let’s take it nice and slow, hmm?” 

Kyo knew he should have felt bad about it. Of course he knew Vivi and his future was nonexistent but he slept with her anyway in a house that Gwen’s parents paid for under the pretense that they were a married couple in love. 

…Again, it still didn’t stop him. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“You pig!” 

Kyo sat straight up, stunned, when a voice shrieked through his calm. He stared at Gwen, who was glaring at him with enough intensity to stop him from breathing. Frowning, he scowled, about to demand what he’d done, besides existing, that had offended her now. 

He glanced beside him. Vivi was asleep… 

…...Oh. 

“I…can explain?” he said carefully. 

Gwen stomped out and he grimaced, shaking Vivi’s shoulder, “Uh, babe, you should probably go before you’re reprimanded for sleeping with me.” 

She yawned and turned over, “Wha…?” 

But he quickly got her dressed and out, sighing as he closed the door, knowing Gwen was standing behind him, giving him the look of death. Smiling tightly, he turned around, his hands stuffed in his pockets. 

“Okay, what’s wrong?” 

“'What’s wrong?' What’s wrong?!” she hissed, “I don’t know where to begin!”   
  


“Hey, Vivi came looking for _me_ , I didn’t go out and find her!” he protested. 

Gwen’s purple gaze narrowed, “Oh, so that means it’s perfectly okay to use a woman that obviously has no self-esteem?!” 

He could only hope something would come and strike him down. It would be a merciful act. 

“Whatever. That’s not even the biggest of the issues” she glared. 

Kyo stared blankly at her as she turned, stalking into the kitchen, “What if my parents came by?! First, they would have _killed_ you! Second, they would have told your parents and-and I don’t know what they’d do to you but they couldn’t possibly be happy!” 

…True enough, his mother would have castrated him. He cringed, “Uh…” 

“Look, I don’t know if you’ve _noticed_ but we have a really damn good thing going here!” she snarled. 

“God, I _haven't_ noticed. How?!” he gawked, seeing nothing good about this predicament. 

“Again, I don’t know about your parents but mine have completely gotten off my back” she grumbled, slamming down on the couch, drinking some weird wheat grass concoction, “In fact, they don’t even ask me about married life, they just talk to me like I’m a normal human being, not some prize to be married off to the highest bidder.” 

Kyo frowned and sat down in the recliner. Again, absolutely true. His mother was extremely content, just asking if him and his wife were getting along instead of, well, treating him like he was being ridiculous for not being married yet. That was actually kind of nice. 

Of course, was it worth his sanity? 

“No women” she glared. 

Kyo smiled darkly, “Can’t I do my dirty business outside of the house? I mean, it’s not like _we’re_ having sex and you may despise me being a guy but I know _I_ have needs.” 

Gwen hissed, slamming her foot, “No! My parents might see you!” 

“Damn it, I can’t go without sex!” 

“And no porn in a house my parents pay for either!” 

Kyo just about fainted, “ _Are you nuts_? No sex _and_ no porn!? How am I supposed to survive?!” 

“Sex is for reproductive purposes, not pleasure” she stated simply. 

“No” he glared, “I refuse to put up with this. _Refuse_.” 

“Fine” Gwen said angrily, “I’ll just tell my papa you’re cheating on me.” 

“…You’re going to lie about me?!” 

“Why not?” she scoffed. 

“You know what, I don’t care if you’re a radical feminist and will stab me in the scrotum for saying it but you’re a freakin’ bitch” he glared. 

She actually didn’t look all that bothered but her eyes narrowed, “Of course. When you can’t think of another counter, you lash out with an insult. Predictable.” 

Kyo stared at her for a long, long second before saying: “I’ll kill myself if I stay with you. I honestly mean that.” 

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms, “So what? You want out already?” 

“You’re right, we need an ‘out’ day” he muttered, stroking his chin. 

“A month?” she cocked a brow. 

He grimaced, “I’d _prefer_ that but I’m pretty sure both our parents would kill us.” 

“Without question…” she groaned. 

Running his fingers through his messy brown hair, he tapped his cheek, pursing his lips, “A year?” 

“A year?” her nose wrinkled, “That’s a long time.” 

“Perhaps. But our parents can’t really say we didn’t try, right? Maybe a year and a half for good measure. Gives it time to fall apart, y’know?” he said plainly. 

“That’s a year and a half without your beloved sex” she growled. 

Kyo smiled tightly, “We’ll see about that.” 

Her eyes narrowed more and he waved a hand, “Is it a plan or not? I’m starting to think I’d rather take on your father right now than do this anymore.” 

“…Very well,” she muttered. 

Kyo sighed, shaking his head, “A year…” 

…What was he getting himself into? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Okay, delayed note… I want to say this before I continue. I don’t like RADICAL feminism.
> 
> I took a course this semester related to feminine studies because well, my family’s religious so I thought, hey, this might be easy as they were both related.
> 
> Boy, was I wrong.
> 
> A lot of good points were made, I will agree. HOWEVER, I don’t agree with a line that was repeated consistently throughout the class:
> 
> “Because he was a man”. 
> 
> Am I going to deny that there’s sexism in the world? Absolutely NOT. There is some areas that absolutely need feminist ideas because some women are denied even the basic freedoms of going outside unaccompanied without a man. That, that I understand.
> 
> I do however not agree with this idea that men are latently and inherently the reason everything goes wrong or exactly why women have issues or whatever. I am not an anti-feminist, per se, because I don’t agree that women have to be housewives and whatever.
> 
> But I do believe people should just do what makes them happy and that blaming people for things gets old. And the methods, the ‘cutting males out of the equation’ that I researched about radical feminism, that’s not solving anything, that’s just a quick and extremely unfeasible fix. 
> 
> So this fiction, if you’re in that group that thinks men shouldn’t exist and are constantly trying to bring women down, is NOT for you. I hope to portray Gwen as not this radical or deciding, ‘yay, being at home, catering to a man is better than anything!’. I have a larger goal…
> 
> I want to portray that equality, in every sector of life, is better.
> 
> Enjoy.


	3. Lesson Three

Kano Douglas was gushing, speaking to Gwen as the blonde just stared at her like she was nuts. Kyo sat at the counter, reading a magazine, tapping his cheek as he tried to fathom how this worked. Kano was pretty much the nicest lady he’d ever met and he’d love to have her as a real mother-in-law. She brought him cookies with this visit and a woman that brought him cookies was good with him. 

Lane Douglas was intimidating to the max but a rather haughty fun-loving guy. The man took him to his golf club and Kyo was rubbing elbows with the likes of Fuwaki Darshan and Tomoe Herbal. Okay, that was a little awkward but the man was cool. 

…So how’d they make Gwen? 

“Honey! Aren’t you going to make dinner? I’m sure Kyo’s famished” Kano questioned suddenly. 

Kyo looked up and hid his snicker behind a cough. Yea, that’d be the day. They always cooked separately. She refused his ‘barbaric acts’ of eating meat. A vegetarian, possibly vegan, feminist? He’d have more in common marrying a man. 

“Unfortunately, Kyo and I don’t agree on what to eat” Gwen smiled tightly. 

“Gwen, you can’t subject _everyone_ to your lifestyle! If your husband eats meat, you should compromise!” Kano chastised. 

“I am not cooking some poor animal because he has to satisfy animalistic needs” she said simply. 

He wondered if she could even hear the contradiction in that statement. Sighing airily, he flipped the pages. “Gwen seems to forget I’m a country boy.” 

Gwen raised a brow at him and Kano smiled, “Of course! Your father is an agriculturist so you’re probably used to vegetables.” 

“Yep” he smiled sweetly, “I love food.” 

Gwen glared at him like she would have shot him in the face if her mother wasn’t there. Ha, that’s right, she would be cooking for him. Despicable! Hiding his eye roll, he guessed she didn’t realize that he wouldn’t mind cooking for the both of them. She had environmentalist tendencies but didn’t seem to note they were wasting a lot of energy and stuff cooking separately. 

“Fine” Gwen said forcefully, “I’ll _cook_ for us then.” 

Kyo blinked cutely and she seemed ready to smack him. Kano sighed, looking at him rather gratefully. “Thank you for putting up with her. I know it has to be difficult and now that you live together her true colors are probably showing…” 

'You have no idea', Kyo thought with a somewhat forced grin, “Oh, she’s a character all right.” 

“So is she pleasing you?” the woman questioned suddenly. 

Confused, Kyo questioned, “Pleasing me?” 

“Um, yes, y’know…” 

No, he didn’t. But a moment later, it hit him and he almost gawked. Was she asking about…? 

“You mean in…the bedroom?” 

Kano pinked a bit and nodded. He was pretty floored. Not so much that she was asking him though that was shocking but thinking about him and Gwen? It made his skin crawl. A lot. 

“Uh, we’re a bit conservative” he laughed at length. 

“Oh…” her shoulders slumped, “I was hoping you’d change her mind about, you know, kids. But you don’t want them either?” 

Not with your daughter. “Uh, we’re taking it slow. I’m sure we’ll discuss that more later.” 

Kano nodded and he watched her walk off. Honestly, he felt awful. The woman wanted grandchildren and a happily married daughter and they were making that seem like it was a possibility. 

But a year. A year and he’d be off the hook. 

And not a moment too soon. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kano looked irritable as they sat at the table, glaring at her daughter who glared back. “You’d actually give this to your husband? This-this vegan nothingness?” 

Gwen grunted, “He doesn’t _have_ to eat it! I’m not holding a gun to his head!” 

“If your spouse likes meat, you should cook him meat!” 

“What if _I_ don’t like meat?! Doesn’t _that_ count for something?!” 

“Marriage is about compromise!” 

“I’m not compromising my beliefs so that he can eat! He can cook whatever he wants but I won’t though!” 

“Don’t you want to say something?” Kano demanded, finally turning to him. 

But the woman gawked and Gwen turned to stare at him as well before gaping a bit herself. Kyo, who’d just gotten the plate of linguini in some green substance, was polishing off the bowl. They both stared at him as he licked the tip of his chopsticks. 

“I don’t know” he said thoughtfully, “It had a really interesting flavor. I liked it.” 

Gwen stared very heavily before saying slowly, “…Really?” 

He nodded, “You want to save some or can I get some more?” 

“…Help yourself.” 

Kyo wandered off into the kitchen and Gwen blanked for a moment. His mother often asked had he started eating her cooking yet. Gwen had fought off snorting, thinking he was just a meat ravenous man. 

…Turns out, he was just a ravenous man. 

When her mother left, a tad disgruntled, she snickered as Kyo crashed on the couch, watching television. 

“That was nice. My mother doesn’t believe men can tolerate vegetarian food.” 

“Food is food” Kyo said sagely. 

She sat, grabbing her novel, and started to read before glaring a little at him, “What did she ask you about while I was cooking?” 

“If we were having sex and making babies.” 

Gwen looked extremely disgusted, “Because that’s all I’m good for, right?” 

“That’s probably the last thing you’re good for” Kyo grunted. 

This got Gwen riled up. “How do _you_ know that?!” 

Kyo sent her a look, “You really don't think I listen to you, do you? You just want to argue for the sake of arguing.” 

Her gaze narrowed and he rolled his eyes, annoyed, “You’re insulted because I said you wouldn't be good for 'making babies' which requires a _man_ in some shape or form and probably occasionally having to do some damn housework. So don’t you think it’s at least a semi-reasonable statement?” 

Gwen recoiled and he sighed, standing, “I’m going to visit my parents. I’ll be back later.” 

He rushed out quickly, needing air. Scowling, he looked to his cell phone. His gaze softened vaguely and he clicked ‘send’. “Bastard.” 

“Is that any way to answer your phone?” sighed a voice. 

“Yea, when you’re talking to one, I think it’s a perfect way” he snorted. 

“In that case, you’re a bitch.” 

Kyo opened his mouth to counter before snickering, “How are you, Jyun?” 

His elder brother remarked, “I’m fine. How are you?” 

“Losing my damn mind.” 

“Why?” 

“Come home, you’ll see.” 

Jyun sighed heavily again and Kyo rolled his eyes, stopping to sit on a bench, “How long do you plan to be gone, Jyun? Who told you running from your issues helps?” 

“I’m going to have to go” Jyun said suddenly. 

“Jyun!” Kyo blurted, “Look, I-I’m just worried about you, okay? You… _you_ don’t act like _this_. You’re…you’re unreasonable reasonable, but this time you’re unreasonable-unreasonable and we all just want what’s best for you, okay? Can’t you…come home?” 

For some reason, he thought he felt Jyun smile, “…I promise I won’t be gone forever, Kyo. But while I’m gone, take care of everything, okay?” 

Kyo slumped, knowing Jyun had no desire to come home. Rubbing his brow, he shrugged, “Whatever.” 

“No ‘whatever’. You know in case something happens--” 

“Sheesh, what do you expect will happen?” Kyo rolled his eyes, “I got it. In case dad gets kidnapped by tribal villagers and mom becomes their virgin sacrifice, I’ll go in guns blazing.” 

“Yea, just tell them you’re her son, that might take care of that ‘virgin’ sacrifice issue” Jyun snorted almost sarcastically. 

Kyo laughed, “True, I’ll keep it in mind.” 

“Well, I have to go for real. I’ll talk to you later, Kyo.” 

“…Okay. Take care.” 

“You too.” 

Kyo stared at the phone for a long few minutes after his brother clicked off before standing and going about his way again. He wished things had gone differently for his brother. 

His phone buzzed and he stared at the text message from his 'wife’. Opening it, his eyes narrowed at the text, reading ‘I don’t need a man to be a mother’. 

…Okay, he wished things had gone differently for the both of them. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _Don’t come home, I’m having a meeting.”_

He had very mixed feelings about this statement. One, how dare she tell him not to come home? Two, why hadn’t she told him this sooner? 

Kyo grunted as he grabbed the handles of the bales of hay with his leather gloved hands, tossing it into the loft overhead. He jumped a little as a cow head butted him from behind. Glancing back, he sighed. It was that same cow that hated him for trying to ride her when he was younger. 

“Kyo-chan, dinner!” 

He smirked, dusting off his hands. Yea, nostalgia. Pulling off the gloves, setting them on the shelf, he went into the house he was raised in where Nelly was already washing his hands, Hoshiko, having decided to join them for dinner, was sitting on the couch, and his mother was setting a supper of chicken pot pie on the table. Kyo took his father’s place at the sink before dropping into his chair. Everyone echoed ‘itedakimasu’ and attacked the meal. 

Elli smiled at Kyo, “So sweetie, how is married life?” 

A living hell, he wanted to sob to his mother. Instead he forced a smile, “…Good.” 

The woman’s smile melted a bit, “That doesn’t sound good. What’s wrong?” 

“We, uh, are a lot different than I thought we were” he coughed. 

Hoshiko actually snickered and Nelly snorted, pouring some wine. Kyo glowered at them, as did Elli, “And why do I feel you two know more about this than I do?” 

“You’re imagining it” Kyo remarked, glaring at them. 

“Of course” Nelly smiled sweetly, “More so, when should I expect some grandkids, hmm?” 

Kyo sulked at his father and Elli brightened, glancing to him, “Oh yes, what are your plans for that?” 

“We don’t…have any.” Gag. 

“…Oh.” 

Kyo smiled weakly and coughed, “But, uh, maybe one day.” 

After he divorced this psycho. 

Thankfully the whole subject was dropped but Kyo felt fatigued. What on Earth had he gotten himself into…? She actually kicked him out of 'their' house to have a man-bashing fest, he thought wearily. 

When he got the “ok” text at 2 a.m., he considered telling her he was staying at his parent’s house but must have been crazy because he actually went back. Wandering into the house, his eyes grew to the size of saucers. 

Gwen was sitting on the couch, curled around a novel amongst an absolute _mess_. He gaped as she looked up at him. 

“What _happened_?” 

“I had a meeting” she said simply. 

“A meeting or an effin’ rave!? What the f—k is this all over the floor?!” he demanded, stepping in something sticky. 

“It’s a beverage. A mixture of orange juice, salted plum, and wheat grass.” 

The sheer idea gave him a sharp shiver, “Well, I can’t blame whoever dropped _that_. That would have made me convulse too.” 

The blonde gave him a dark glare though the fact that she didn’t actually try to correct his theory almost made him laugh. That might have been funny to watch. Nevertheless, he scowled at her, “Are you going to...clean this?” 

“Wasn’t planning on it tonight.” 

Kyo stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out if she was serious. After a moment, she cocked a brow at him, “What?” 

“You’re going to let all this food sit out, this stuff stay on the floor, and all this garbage just stay here?” 

She glared darkly at him, “I’ll get it tomorrow!” 

“Tomorrow?! You’re at school from morning until night, this would be an effin’ bacteria pit by then!” 

“Then _you_ clean it” she growled. 

“It wasn’t _my_ party.” 

Gwen just continued reading, “Then the mess will stay there when I’m ready to get to it. I’m not going to be forced to do something that can wait.” 

Kyo had a complete revelation: She was _manipulating_ him! 

He thought he ended up cleaning because she was too busy with school work which he was _sort of_ fine with. He worked all day too but school was important. He didn’t so much mind if it was for something like that. 

But she was actually just being effin’ lazy and getting him to do it! She had no intention of ever cleaning, the stupid brat! They lived together and she was taking some damn responsibility! None of this was _his_ mess! 

Glaring deeply at her for a moment, he replaced it with a bright smile. “Okay, if you say so.” 

Her eyes rose slightly, her brow also rising, as he walked away towards the stairs, “Good night.” 

He grumbled as he fell face forward into bed. He was no one’s maid, he thought irritably as he dozed off. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kyo groaned as he heard people. 

…Was she having another party? 

Glaring sleepily at the clock, he groaned, turning over. 11? She usually got out of class at like, 10, so maybe she had some people over. 

He stared at his ceiling for a bit before conceding that, insane radical feminists or not, he was starving. He could sneak around it. 

Skulking around the way carefully, he cautiously peeked into the living room, expecting to give a minor glance at some of her crazed peers but did a double take. 

… _Maids_? 

Gawking, in sheer disbelief, he stalked in, watching the people unpacking their things, starting to clean up the mess from last night. For a moment, he was so dumbfounded he didn’t know what was going on. Then it hit him again: 

Rather than clean, she’d _pay_ people to clean. 

…What were they, rich or something?! 

Reaching into his pocket, growling angrily, he stopped the cleaners and paid them a pretty healthy tip, saying there had been a mistake. She wasn’t getting out of this. It was bull. Bull! 

After making himself a sandwich and settling on the clean recliner, Kyo ate absently as Gwen wandered down the steps before pausing and looking confused. 

“…Why’s it still messy?” 

“Because you didn’t clean up, ‘wife’.” 

Gwen stared at him for a moment before her purple eyes narrowed, “What did you do?” 

“We’re not lifestyle of the rich and the famous here, _dear_ ” he snarled, “We don’t make a mess in our own damn house then expect somebody else to clean it up, it’s ridiculous. So you better break out the bucket and soap because that goo is going to make a nice stain on our lovely floor.” 

Gwen looked absolutely incensed, “So--” 

“Aht, shut up” he interrupted, “No. No I am _not_ saying that a woman’s duty is to keep the house clean because damn it, _I_ have been the one keeping this house clean. _Me_ , not _you,_ woman. _You_ have manipulated me since day one into doing all the work and you know what, Gwen? I don’t care _what_ you say, you are taking some responsibility. So either clean up the mess _your_ party made or I swear to God I will tell your dad the truth about this stupid setup we came up with.” 

The blonde recoiled and glared, “You-you wouldn’t.” 

“I would. I’d rather be beaten to a pulp at this point” he glared back. 

They had a fierce glare match before finally she hissed and wandered back into the kitchen. She threw stuff around, making yet another mess, and he rolled his eyes. Ugh… 

The woman returned with the tools he used to clean, gloves on her hands, and some garbage bags. Swallowing, she picked up all the napkins and whatnot, throwing it in the bag. He almost snickered because she looked around after that task which took less than ten minutes and seemed surprised that that little amount of effort made such a huge difference. But… 

She knelt on the ground and looked at the stickiness with disdain before dipping the brush into the sudsy water in the bucket and scrubbing. 

Kyo cocked a brow at her method and was a bit…what? 

“…If you scratch it that way, you’ll mess up the flooring” he remarked. 

She glared at him and he added, “You rub with the groove of the wood.” 

“I know that!” 

He waved a hand and she continued. Now that task, that took _way_ longer than it should have. Kyo got up, showered, ate again, and came back to watch television and she was still working. 

…Maybe he should take that job. 

He frowned when the doorbell rang and walked around her to answer. Oh, her parents. Kano opened her mouth to greet him before gasping. Lane just cocked a brow and he blinked, following their gaze. 

“Oh yea, she had a party and some people spilled some drinks” he explained. 

“O-oh” Kano smiled quickly, “And you didn’t want to bring someone else in for that?” 

Kyo’s brow rose at that. Then things just got even more clearer. 

Gwen didn’t know any better. 

Her parents hadn’t made her clean, they were filthy rich. While it was still manipulation, she’d just did that because she’d never done it for herself. Not understanding that with all the chores and responsibilities his parents gave him growing up, he smiled faintly. “Well, it wouldn’t hurt to do it this way.” 

“O-oh, of course not!” Kano blurted with a nervous laugh. 

Kyo managed not to roll his eyes at the woman’s blatant horror that her daughter was cleaning up a mess associated with her. Really, had he been hosting the party, he would have made someone’s sorry ass stay back and help him clean but no, no, that was just too nice for a group that wanted to eradicate men, he supposed. 

Glancing down at her, his brows furrowed since she was like excessively into it as he noticed she’d done the problem areas and now seemed to just be doing the rest of the floor for kicks. Kyo smiled lightly, “Gwen, don’t you want to say 'hello' to your parents?” 

Kano knelt, looking so sad like her daughter was in prison or something, and smiled at her, “Dear, do you want me to call in Mimi? She can do this for you.” 

Gwen’s gaze shot up and she glared, “No!” 

Kano recoiled and Kyo coughed, “Um, why don’t I make some tea and lunch for you two since Gwen’s gotten rather gung-ho floor cleaning on us?” 

Lane, who just seemed puzzled by all this, looked up and nodded, “Um, thank you, that’d be nice.” 

They walked around _carefully_ because Gwen yelled at them not to step on the wet areas and he set them at the table, making a healthy lunch of grilled chicken with veggies. Lane laughed his haughty tone. “Wonderful! I’m glad my daughter hasn’t turned you into a vegetarian!” 

“Not in this lifetime, sir.” 

Kano, looking back wistfully as Gwen went back over with a towel to dry the floors, sighed, “So you two are trying a…simpler lifestyle?” 

“Now Kano, you used to live with these sort of responsibilities too” scolded Lane. 

“Of course I did! But…but I don’t know, I didn’t like them…” 

Kyo of course could understand not liking to clean as he detested it and was a bit of a slob as long as it was just like stuff that wouldn’t grow mold if he left it there for a bit. But it wasn’t like it didn’t need to be done. 

The two left while Gwen showered, having to be to some party, and she returned, staring at the floor. 

“It wasn’t that dirty” she randomly remarked, “Aside for the beverage stuff and some dust.” 

“Well, I think that’s kind of why we don’t wear shoes into our houses here.” 

She nodded slowly and shrugged, “I suppose it wasn’t so bad. Not that I wouldn’t have gotten to it anyway.” 

“Of course” he snorted, sitting on the couch and grabbing the remote, “I made you something to eat. It’s in the kitchen.” 

She glared at him, “I--” 

“Don't eat meat. I understand. It’s steamed peas and some roasted mushrooms in some sesame sauce. No animal was harmed in the process.” 

Gwen sent him a glare but nodded and grunted a thanks before grumbling, stuttering, “I-I’ll clean on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday if you get Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday.” 

Kyo glanced over his shoulder, admittedly a little surprised, before nodding, “Deal.” 

She quickly escaped and he blinked. 

…Well, maybe _everything_ wasn’t so bad. 


	4. Lesson Four

Yagami Kyo yawned loudly as he stepped off the subway, returning from the city from his temp job at a new business doing data entry. Simple enough, really. Just he preferred more physical labor. Eh, beggars couldn’t be choosers. 

Passing by the farmer’s market, he picked up some vegetables and stopped by the butcher for _his_ meat. Oh, he loved meat. How his ‘wife’ did it, he would never understand. 

Over the last six or seven months, their level of companionship was, well, extremely low. And she made a point of criticizing men whenever she could but for the most part there really wasn’t as much loathing as before. They had a system and they followed it. 

Her parents had returned to America, thus making it a little easier to get away with things. Gwen went out a lot with her group so hey…porn. 

Why not actually go and do something? Gwen informed him with a groan that her father had actually had people, everyday people that weren’t spies, as just watchmen to make sure he wasn’t cheating on his daughter _and_ to make sure she wasn't cheating on him. 

“I think I don't like big brother” Kyo grunted, actually rather offended. 

Gwen had actually agreed glumly but there wasn’t much they could do about it. So all he had to rely on was watching some other lucky bastard bang a woman. He had a vivid imagination, however. 

But, well, whatever, he sighed. It didn’t really matter anymore. This was his life for just a little while longer. 

Opening the door, he jumped almost a foot. Holy crap! Her parents were sitting in the living room, chatting with…Gwen? 

He almost gawked because Gwen did not wear short glittery bright colored sundresses or extravagant amounts of make-up. What the hell was going on? 

“Oh, Kyo!” Kano waved, smiling, “I’m glad one of you is back!” 

“Um, yes” he smiled after a moment. Okay, so that wasn’t Gwen, but… 

Lane waved the girl to stand, “This is our younger daughter, Sara.” 

She smiled, taking a bow, “Nice to meet you!” 

Kyo gaped, “…Gwen has a sister?” 

Sara pouted, “She doesn’t talk about me? That slut.” 

“We’re actually going to go to a big formal event, Kyo, so we were wondering if Sara could stay here for a bit?” questioned Kano. 

“Uh, sure.” 

“Oh, thank you!” the woman gushed, kissing his cheek. 

Lane practically broke his shoulder slapping it, “Good, good!” 

But he leaned over and whispered, “They may _look_ the same but that doesn’t mean you can do anything to her, got it?” 

Kyo grinned fearfully and nodded as the two exited. Sara sat, her hands on her knees, and Kyo cleared his throat. Awkward. 

“Can I offer you anything to eat or drink, Douglas-san?” 

“Sara’s fine” her nose wrinkled, “And I’m good, we ate before we came.” 

“Oh, uh, sure…Sara” he smiled nervously, “How, um, old are you?” 

“I’m almost seventeen” she nodded. 

It suddenly hit him” how old was his wife? Hell, he didn’t even know how old she freakin’ was! 

Cautiously approaching Sara to get an answer, he questioned, “Ohhh, so that’d make you younger than Gwen by…” 

“Four years” she smiled happily. 

…He was married to someone _seven_ years younger than him!? 

At a loss for a moment himself, she giggled, “How old are you?” 

“Oh, uh, almost 29” he smiled, feeling ill. He just prayed Gwen would celebrate a birthday soon. 

“Oh, that gets me so much” she frowned, “You look eighteen at most!” 

“Thanks...” 

“So is Gwen a good wife?” Sara questioned curiously, “Because the way she changed, it’d seem like she’d absolutely suck as a wife. I was so shocked too because she hates men!” 

“Tell me about it…” he accidentally said before growing alarmed, grinning, “I mean, uh, changed? How so?” 

“Oh, I doubt she’d tell you about it but she was SOOOO different during high school” she sighed. 

He blinked and she clapped, “Let me show you! I thought it’d be funny to embarrass her!” 

Kyo cocked a brow as she ruffled through a pink suitcase and brought out a book, opening it and handing it to him. He frowned and sat down beside her, flipping the pages. Oh, a yearbook… 

His brow furrowed as within the first couple pages… 

“… _No way_.” 

_Gwen_ was a cheerleader. 

He gawked as he flipped the glossy colored pages, the woman appearing almost every two turns doing some spirit event or some club or _something._

Sara grew tired and asked to lie in the sitting room as he continued to scan this rather amazing tale. 

Going through the book a second time, he looked up when crazed hippy radicalist feminist walked in, wearing a pair of huge cargo pants and a madly insane large t-shirt. He cocked a brow at her and she glared. “What?” 

“…So how do you go to this from…” he opened to page to where she was wearing a lowcut t-shirt, showing off cleavage he had yet to see and a cute jean skirt with a pink belt, “ _This_?” 

Gwen’s eyes grew to the size of plates and she gawked, screaming, “Where’d you get that?! Give it to me!!” 

He turned away as she darted at him, turning the pages, “I mean, _damn_ , you were _hot_. I’d tap _that_.” 

“You _pig_!” 

“But sheesh, aren’t we Miss Popular?” he continued, ignoring both her proclamation and playing a game of keep away, “Leader of the cheerleading squad, class vice president, president of four clubs, honor roll. And _oh_ , the superlative!” 

“NOOO!” 

“Cutest couple!” he gasped mockingly, “With Mr. Super Blond himself, quarterback captain of the football team and you, the head cheerleader! I didn’t think clichés like that could even feasibly happen!” 

“I’ll kill you!!” 

“So what happened with that, huh? Did he get turned off when you got manlier than him?” 

She gritted her teeth as he handed the book to her, smirking, “I mean, _my God_ , what a transformation! I was shocked out of this damn galaxy!” 

“How did you get this?” she hissed. 

“What’s all the yelling…?” 

Gwen jumped a mile as Sara wandered out of the sitting room, rubbing her eyes. She was cute, he had to admit, now actually looking at her, all tanned and blonde. Ugh, no sex and now he was ogling jailbait. Life sucked. 

“S-Sara?! What are you doing here?!” demanded Gwen. 

The younger looked at her before covering her mouth, her brows furrowing, “How _awful_ …” 

“Answer my question!!” 

“Poor Kyo, I bet he’s never seen your body. Oh wait, he should have by now” she remarked. 

“Oh, I haven’t, but I’m definitely curious now…” 

She elbowed him hard and he grunted. Sara propped her hands on her hips, “Don’t be mean to your husband! He’s cute!” 

“Then you take him” grunted Gwen, “And answer me!” 

“I wanted to visit my sister” she rolled her eyes, “I know that’s so hard for you to believe but it’s true.” 

“Visit me indeed! You’re here to torture me! How dare you show this to him?!” 

Sara waved a hand, “It just shows that once upon a time you had a more agreeable personality, sister!” 

“You--!” 

Sara weirdly smiled and bit her lip, “And what’s this about not knowing what her body looks like? You’re not putting out, ane-san?” 

“That is _none_ of your business!” snapped Gwen, her face red. 

“Oh course! You’re good at putting out, I’m sorry for doubting you!” she smiled brightly. 

“I’ll kill you!!” 

Sara squealed and ran away from her sister as Kyo just kind of stood there. Good at…putting out? What? 

The younger Douglas rushed back into the room and hid behind him, turning him so he was blocking her from the furious Gwen, “I’m just _kidding_ , Gwen. Gawd, get a sense of humor again!” 

Gwen was seething and Kyo raised his hands, “Ladies, let’s just chill. Why don’t we go see my dad and mom? They’ll probably be making a great dinner.” 

“Oh, Kyo-san! I want to make dinner for everyone! I’m sure my parents will be back soon. Can I?” Sara asked sweetly. 

“Uh, sure” he smiled, confused. 

She pranced off towards the kitchen and he started to follow to make sure nothing caught on fire. He didn’t get ‘I’m a master chef’ from valley girl. But Gwen grabbed his arm and dragged him up towards her bedroom, scaring him. Oh God! She was going to kill him! 

Upon entering though, she hissed, “My sister will bring up what you said to my parents, about not having seen my body. And you did tell my mother we were…bleh!” 

“…Well, yea, but what’s this about?” he cocked a brow, “I can just say she misconstrued what I meant.” 

“She’ll ask so just say stuff about my body” she grumbled, flustering. 

Kyo stared at her before his eyes widened as she grabbed the ends of her shirt, “ _Woah_ , _woah_.” 

“Shut up!! I’m showing you stuff you can say is there!” she hissed. 

“Like wh--… _woah_.” 

Cradled in her belly button was a sterling silver stud with a diamond. She glared at him, pinking, “I have a piercing.” 

Kyo just stared incredulously though the proof was right there. She sniffed and turned around, grabbing the back of the baggy shirt, lifting it, and hit him once again with an absolute _shock_. 

It was a pretty red butterfly tramp stamp. A pretty reddish _pink_ butterfly. Staring, at an absolute loss, he cleared his throat, “You know, if you ever changed your mind about kids, they couldn’t drug you.” 

“I _wouldn't_ and if I _did_ , I wouldn’t take the drugs anyway!” she snapped, turning around before turning bright red, “N-now don’t say a word!” 

He blinked rapidly and gawked as she unzipped her pants. _Oh dear God_. But she tugged them down, having to hold the edge because they were way too big for her, to show a rose on her left lower abdomen, slightly curling around to her thigh. 

“N-now there, that’s all the stuff. Oh, and my birthmark is shaped like a heart.” 

“Your body’s so _girly_! Heart shaped birthmarks?!” 

“Shut up!” she hissed, flustered. 

“And my God, your tatts! And a belly button ring!? Ah!” 

Shushing him, she dragged him back downstairs into the kitchen where Sara surprisingly was chopping vegetables rather well. She looked up and ‘bleh’d’. “Please let me take you shopping, sister, you’re a disaster.” 

“No!” 

“Please?”   
  
“Sara--” 

“I took the fall for you” she suddenly leered. 

Gwen’s angered look melted into exasperation and she stomped her foot, “Fine! But I’m not wearing it after you leave so it’d be a waste!” 

“Works for me!” 

Kyo just sat at the counter and watched the two bicker. Huh… 

_Both_ Douglas girls were a lot more interesting than he could imagine. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Ugh, never failed. He could not escape women shopping. What sucked even more was last night. 

Apparently Sara and the parents wished to stay with them for the night in their guest room aka _his_ room. He quickly escaped up the stairs, cleaned up and changed the sheets, throwing his into her room and yea. So there they were again, staring at each other in the room, wide-eyed. Gwen buried her face in her hands, _“…I am so, so sorry.’_

He groaned loudly and started setting up his mat on the floor, _“It’s…okay. It’s not like it’s not a reasonable request.”_

“ _Except they should have informed us ahead of time!”_

_Kyo sighed wearily and lied down, closing his eyes, “Whatever, I…it’s just for a day…”_

And now, after sleeping on the hard floor, he was out shopping with the two. Ugh. Though it was almost amusing how Gwen started to automatically go to the guy section. Sara glowered and grabbed her arm, redirecting her. Gwen actually _whined. W_ ow, this _was_ interesting. 

“Come on! There’s girl stuff you’d be willing to wear!” 

“Like what?” she glared. 

Sara picked up a red plaid tunic that tied at the back. “See? This would be cute on you!” 

Gwen grunted and took it, observing it before scowling, “It’s…tolerable. But it’d show off…stuff.” 

God forbid, Kyo thought dryly, but Sara waved a hand, “We’ll get you a tank top or something.” 

“…Very well.” 

“Yay!” 

Everything she got was basic, like basic different colored t-shirts and long sleeved t-shirts. She got a couple of wide strapped tank tops, one striped, a lot of flannel. She got a plaid pair of jeans too which was weird and some jeans that weren’t as tight as _he_ liked them but _definitely_ an improvement. Finally, she got some less combat looking boots that were actually kind of cool… 

He blinked when they passed Tenshiya before clapping, “Oi! Let’s go in!” 

Gwen cocked a brow but Sara giggled, hooking his arm, “Okay!” 

It was busy as usual but Yukina Steiner wandered out, carrying some flaming dishes before glancing back at them.“Oh, hey! Grab an empty table, I’ll send someone over!” 

“Sweet!” 

“He’s hot too…” Sara observed as they found a table amongst all the people. 

“That’s my cousin’s husband” he informed them, “He owns the Tenshiya restaurant line.” 

“Oh my God, really? That’s amazing” gasped Sara. 

“And what does your cousin do?” questioned Gwen with that tone like ‘and he makes his wife stay at home, right?’. 

Kyo smiled at her sweetly, “She owns a few popular art galleries in the area. We can visit one after lunch.” 

Sara clapped and Gwen ‘hmph’d’. Kyo fought rolling his eyes and blinked as a waitress came over. He ordered what he usually got and Sara ordered something extremely girly and frilly. Gwen got a salad… 

Sara blinked at him as he had…thirds, “Wow, you eat so much but you never get fat! I’m jealous!” 

Gwen rolled her eyes and sighed, “ _You_ don’t get fat either…” 

Kyo was going to remark on that from the flash he got of her stomach that she was in really great shape. But that’d be a bit of an awkward comment, considering. 

The waitress came over with a banana cake and sundaes, something they hadn’t ordered. She winked. “Yukina-san said his treat.” 

Kyo gasped, taking the cake, “Tell him if I were gay, I’d marry him.” 

“Will do” she laughed, walking away. 

Sara ‘mm’d’ at the sundae and Gwen ate a couple of spoonfuls before sighing, “That was really filling for a salad. I can’t eat anymore.” 

“I got you” Kyo replied, taking it from her. 

The blonde just smirked and shook her head. Huh, this was the first time they’d been able to eat together and be civil without her parents around which may have been because of her sister but it was improvement. 

After paying, they went to one of Kaede’s galleries where she was apparently working on a piece. She smirked back at him, painting some scenic thing, “Well now, when did you get into art?” 

“Around noonish.” 

She snickered and Sara gasped, “Oh my God, Flite!” 

Kaede blinked and looked to the painting they had hanging, for sale, and nodded, smiling, “They came in for a party after a concert and I offered to paint them. That’s the only one that’s left out of two dozen.” 

“I want it…” Sara whined. 

“Oh yea, Kae, this is Sara, Gwen’s little sister. She’s visiting” Kyo introduced. 

“Nice to meet you! You can have it if you like. I took enough photos that I can make more.” 

“Really?! Yay! Your family’s so awesome, Kyo!” 

He blinked coyly and Gwen leered at him, Kaede laughing, “Not so much, actually.” 

Leaving for home finally, sitting on the subway, Sara hugged her newly acquired painting, blinking, “All the people in your family seem so pretty, Kyo.” 

“Thanks.” 

Sara suddenly looked coy, “Will I be an aunt one day? I bet you guys will have a pretty baby.” 

“I’ve told you for a hundred years that I _don't_ want children, even _before_ what you call my ‘transformation’” Gwen glared. 

Sara just pouted and Kyo cocked a brow, “You've never wanted kids?” 

“They’ve not appealed to me” her nose wrinkled. 

Kyo stroked his chin. Really, not until he was older, did they appeal to him either. A baby would just kind of get in the way of things but seeing his cousins with their kids, he just kind of wanted it too. 

“Well, whatever” shrugged Kyo. Not like _they'd_ ever have kids. 

When they arrived, Sara suddenly ‘oh’d!’ and rushed to her suitcase. Gwen blinked as the girl returned with cards. She blinked and gasped. 

“Ah, the indie collection!” 

“For the last three years” Sara said proudly. 

Kyo was a little surprised. “You like indie?” 

She nodded and went over to her laptop, grabbing her music player and transferring the files, getting her headphones, “I haven’t been back to America to get it from our local scene in three years. I’ve missed and over played all my other collections.” 

Man, he was learning some weird stuff about her. He didn’t think she…liked music. Which would just be strange but eh. 

“What music are you into, Kyo?” questioned Sara, sitting on the couch. 

“Oh, a little bit of everything. I do like indie and alternative but I’m a tad more into heavier rock because of my brother though. He used to be mad punkish back in the day.” 

Gwen stopped and cocked a brow as she started to put in the other bud of her earphones, “…You have a brother?” 

Kyo also cocked a brow, “Um, yea, my older brother, Jyun.” 

Gwen just looked confused before shaking her head. She’d met Hoshiko briefly, of course, otherwise she stayed pretty away from his family. Sara crossed her arms, cocking a brow. 

“You two don’t seem to know a lot about each other.” 

“Oh, well…” 

He jumped when, thankfully, there was a knock at the door. He smiled quickly and went over to answer it. Kyo blinked when it was his mother and father, his dad’s brow furrowed as he kept a rather lengthy distance. His mother just looked, well, neutral. 

“Hello, dear! We were going to dinner night and thought we’d invite you and Gwen…oh…?” 

He followed his mother’s gaze and smiled quickly, “Oh, this is Gwen’s little sister, Sara. She’s visiting from the States. Sara, this is my mom, Yagami Elli, and my dad, Yagami Nerimaru.” 

“Nice to meet you!” smiled Elli before propping her hands on her hips, “So you’re busy then…” 

Sara giggled, “You should go, Kyo! I’ll hang out with Gwen.” 

Kyo realized that she probably did want to spend a little time with her sister. He’d probably been getting in the way. Smiling, he nodded. “Sure. I shouldn’t be gone long.” 

“Okay!” 

He left, striding beside his father as his mother said something about how pretty both girls were. 

However, something suddenly felt off. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“You’re faking, bitch.” 

Gwen looked up, taking off her headphones, disgusted, “It’s bad enough that men use that insult, do women have to use it too?” 

“Spare me your s—tload of butch hypocrisy because I don’t give a flying f--k” snarled Sara coolly, “Did you _honestly_ believe I wouldn’t figure out that you two are faking this marriage? Are you an idiot?” 

Gwen rolled her eyes and walked over to the desk drawer, drawing out papers, “If you read here, you will notice that these are _official_ papers that say, for all purposes, that I am _Yagami_ Gwen. So whether you believe it or not, it’s written right there: we’re married.” 

Sara snatched the papers from her before her eyes widened, incredulous, “You _actually_ married him?! Are you nuts?” 

“What happened to him being cute?” Gwen remarked dryly. 

“He’s f—king sexy but that’s not the damn issue” she hissed, “That you’d go this far for a sham!/ And don’t even try to deny it being a sham, you didn’t even know he had an effin’ brother!” 

“It’s none of your business, Sara” Gwen glared, “I’m living with Kyo, I’m legally _married_ to him. Thus, I am fulfilling all mother and father’s wants, nay?” 

Sara gaped, seemingly at a loss over that one before her eyes narrowed, “Yea, but it’s a lie. Mother and father want you _legitimately_ married.” 

“They can take this or shove it” Gwen grunted, “I didn’t _want_ to get married and I still don’t want to be!” 

Sara narrowed her eyes and Gwen knew that look. She’d tell. She’d tell her parents and all hell would break loose. This sucked, she thought miserably. But… 

“Two and a half years!” she blurted. 

Sara’s brow rose, confused, “What?” 

“You’re going to tell mom and dad anyway” Gwen growled, “So wait two and a half years. Or you know, I can tell them about Mr. Lake.” 

Sara actually blanched, “You wouldn’t…” 

“Yep. So naturally they’d be more pissed about my case but if I tell them _first_ or after you tell them, both of us would get disowned” Gwen remarked idly, staring at her hands. 

“… _Fine_ ” she hissed. 

Stomping away to the guest room, Gwen sat down and started to play the musi before realizing… 

…Did she _really_ just say she was going to have her wait two and a half years? Kyo and her were supposed to ‘divorce’ in four months. 

…Uh oh. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Oh, _hell_ no.” 

Gwen hated more than _anything_ to have to beg a man to do, _anything_. But this was a matter of almost life and death. Her parents would revoke her tuition and she really didn’t have any experience so getting a job would be near impossible. So, in essence, she also _needed_ him. 

…Maybe she should just let this go. 

He was mixing himself a drink and glared at her, “Do you know what you’re asking me? Two and a half years?! I’ve lived with this for nearly a year and I’m almost dying. Two more and six months would put me in a coffin!” 

“If this is about your barbaric bigoted needs for sex then go ahead” she glared. 

Kyo threw his hands up, “My ‘barbaric bigoted needs’! I can’t STAND that! I can’t _stand_ how damn judgmental you are! Who the f—k made you queen to decide what was right and wrong? I— _ugh_!” 

Gwen slammed her palms on the table, “Because you treat sex like it’s some kind of _game_ , like it’s some kind of _need_ , like-like food or water! You don’t _need_ sex and you don’t need to treat women like they’re nothing more than toys to throw away at your convenience!” 

“And those 'women' I treat like toys who _understand_ we're not going to have a commitment, are they using _me_ since we've come to an adult agreement? And you know what? You are _eight_ years younger than me, I don’t really think you’re in that much of a place to be lecturing me about what _I_ need” he glared hotly. 

She opened her mouth before faltering, “…What?” 

“What?” 

“ _Eight_ years? What are you talking about?” she demanded. 

Kyo groaned at that, “I am 29 years old.” 

“…You _can't_ be!” she gawked. 

“I think I know what my own age is, thanks.” 

“My God!” 

He sulked at her as she glared at him, “…Look, I know this isn’t ideal for you and that essentially you’re just doing this for my sake but you don’t understand! They’re paying for my schooling and whatnot, they’d kill me if Sara let it out that this was a sham.” 

Kyo groaned. And here he thought she was a sweet girl… “Who’s to say she won’t?” 

“She slept with one of my father’s married partners at his firm and some other underhanded things that I found out about. I have enough to level the playing field” she muttered. 

“…So this is how you guys do thing? Someone doesn’t want to do something, you have enough drama on them to threaten them to do it?” Kyo questioned, shaking his head. 

Gwen stared at her hands on the table before grumbling, “…You know why I look down on all your behaviors and whatnot, Kyo?” 

“God, please tell me.” 

“Because! I was the same!” she hissed, “I was that-that stupid bimbo of a slut in that yearbook! I can’t look at my Senior yearbook without being _sick_ that I-I was _that_ girl!” 

Kyo frowned, not used to this much…well, candidness, “…'That' girl?” 

“ _That_ girl” she repeated, shaking her head numbly, “That girl that drank and partied and got so drunk she-she slept with anyone that came her way. Or the same girl that _chose_ to sleep through the entire football team. Or the girl that-that slept with her best friend’s boyfriend _just_ because she thought her best friend had stood her up but in reality, her dad was-was sick and diagnosed with cancer.” 

Kyo just stared at her as she finally seemed to admit that, well, that was _her_ life.“Blake, that was his name, the ‘Mr. Super Blond’ as you called him. I-I thought I liked him or-or you know, the stupid high school love thing. I…I really want to say that it was his fault that we broke up but-but it was _me_ , the whore that slept with _his_ best friend. And-and he seemed so sad.” 

Her face changed back to that normal contempt, “But I bet he was just sad that he just lost his prized possession or whatever--” 

“Stop it.” 

She looked up at him, startled, as he gave her a calm look, “Stop _that_. What makes you think he wasn’t upset that you cheated on him? He _liked_ you, you were his _girlfriend_. Whether you like it or not, men are human beings and we _do_ have feelings. Real _feelings_ , Gwen. You would have been upset if he cheated on you, right? Why do you think he’s incapable of feeling the same?” 

“…He had sex with Sara” she whispered. 

Kyo grimaced. Damn you, Blake, he was making a damn good point without you setting men back! 

“…I’m sure he was angry” she mumbled some, “And he had the right to be. But-but damn it, can you at least admit it’s a little _low_ to sleep with my _sister_?” 

“No, that’s…very low…” he was forced to admit. 

She laughed humorlessly, “It was at that point I realized just how-how _ridiculous_ relationships were! How ridiculous that 'life' was! He slept with my sister, the next _obvious_ step for me to take was to sleep with all his brothers! And oh, if he wanted to show me up, maybe he’d sleep with my mother! And hey, his father was already sleeping with some of the cheerleaders, I should jump on that too!” 

“…That would be a tad too…soap opera-y.” 

She glared at him, “You’re uncomfortable, aren’t you?” 

“…A little” he admitted with a nervous laugh. 

“And I was perfectly comfortable with that life. Because it was what I was used to, what my seniors used to do! And it was subjection! We were subjected to that lifestyle, that-that strict following of male desires, wearing what would attract them or doing whatever sexual favors they saw fit! Tomeo-sensei says that it’s the perfect world for men, that it takes away a woman’s choice.” 

Kyo leaned back on the counter and for maybe a brief moment, he saw where she was coming from, but overall, it all came back to one thing. 

“Did she even mention that women make that choice?” 

Gwen glared at him, “They have no choice!” 

Kyo shook his head, “No…” 

He did an air ‘quote'. “‘That girl’, as you put it, probably only saw the girls that did sleep with men because they pressured them to. _That_ girl probably saw the ones that did fall into that trap and the one here now thinks that there was no choice, no option. But what that and this girl don’t realize is that there were a lot of girls around her that made a choice. Those ones that she probably didn’t pay attention to because they made that choice not to party or drink or carouse around with guys that didn't give a s—t about them.” 

She opened her mouth but he continued at ease, “Do you realize that though, Gwen? Do you realize that if a woman is _forced_ to do something she doesn’t want to that it’s rape or harassment? Those guys you’re talking about? The pimps, the players, the one that say you’re nothing if you don’t sleep with me? _Those_ are the pigs, as you so love to call me. And you know what, Gwen? You’re sort of right, I’m not doing mankind any good by sleeping around but I don’t _force_ women, I wouldn’t he _happy_ if they weren’t happy to do anything with me. So what you’re doing with this whole ‘women are forced’ is no better than what you’re claiming men are doing.” 

“How so?” she snapped. 

“Because you’re saying that women don’t have the mind to choose whether they want to be with this guy or whether she wants to have relations with him. You’re saying that women can’t make their own decisions. So what if that guy says you’re nothing if they refuse to sleep with them? They also made a choice to be assholes, a choice that most likely they aren’t going to regret being enabled because women choose to go along with it.” 

He shook his head, “Everyone, whether they want to admit it or not, makes a choice. They may want to blame it on someone else, they may want to blame it on a group, they may want to be racist or sexist or whatever else they can be. However, you as either the target or the one doing the targeting are making a choice. Would you go along with Blake's prodding or tell him to go to hell? Don't get me wrong, women get a lot of crap from men but at the same time, people just get a lot of crap from _people._ I mean, you're definitely getting pretty antagonized by your sister here.” 

She opened her mouth but faltered. He almost smiled.“You know, I think you made the right decision, getting out of that sort of lifestyle. Some women live their whole lives thinking they’re only as good as someone else and what they tell you you're worth. If…if your classes teach _that_ then I could definitely agree with them: that women have to make choice to be who they are, not what someone, man, female, _whatever,_ tells them.” 

She quietly glowered lightly at him and he sipped his drink, “…Two years, six months, Gwen, and that is it. No going for master’s degrees or anything, we’re through after that. 

“…Alright.” 

…As much as it plagued her, she could see the reason but… 

He was a guy, who knew if what he was saying was correct? 

But…it was interesting. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recall Flite, a fictional band, for a later short story…well, a MUCH later short story. I’ll uh, remind everyone when we get there.


	5. Lesson Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I’m touching a shaky subject at the very beginning…vegetarianism XD I am actually not against it or anything and if that’s your personal choice, great. But I’m not a fan of vegetarians getting all high and mighty against people who do enjoy meat. It’s something I choose like you chose not to so I don’t consider it anyone’s business. And where my opinion might get a little sketchy is I don’t really understand people that quit eating it because “eating animals is wrong”…in nature, animals eat each other so by biological principle…is it? All other reasons I can fathom but that one, not so much. One of my friends said he was considering it because it feels weird we breed animals just to eat but even then, I'm feeling animals breed and still get eaten, so... My vegetarian friend has stated both that she doesn’t care for the taste (understandable) and that she considers animal “friends”…
> 
> I don’t know, I’m a raging omnivore, what can I say? Enjoy!

“Eh?” 

Gwen shook her head, “I am…apparently lacking protein.” 

“No kidding” he snorted, “Not eating meat. Crazy.” 

Gwen Douglas glared at her ‘husband’ of sorts, Yagami Kyo, as he fried sausage, “It’s _barbaric_.” 

“You and that damn word. Who says ‘barbaric’ anymore? We’re not playing Dungeons and Dragons” he grunted. 

Gwen leered at him and he dished out some of the Italian sausage in peppers, taking a piece and blowing it before holding it out for her, “Eat.” 

“No!” 

“I know for a fact that you weren’t always a vegetarian, ‘wife’. Sara showed me a picture of you eating a huge hunk of cow.” 

“How can you still even speak to her after she threatened to out us?!” 

“Eh.” 

She recoiled away from the meat, glaring, “Well, I _stopped_ eating it. It’s the inherent need of _men_ to kill something then eat it.” 

Kyo groaned. He honestly thought their one-on-one would like, chill some of those comments. Alas, no… 

However, it had created something particularly interesting between them: debate. No, not their usual, ‘you’re dumb as hell!’ debates but the two had true honest conversations challenging each other’s ideas. He’d be a jerk not to admit that some of what she added had value, really. Some. And he couldn’t say the same for her but from time to time, she seemed like she’d ponder over what he said. 

…Well, he might not like the forced cohabitation, but he could really appreciate that. The women he’d run into before had no interest in things like that and if they really, really got to know him, they’d realize that even though he never showed it, he appreciated intellect. Even when he didn’t necessarily agree whatsoever. 

Still though, Gwen just wasn’t his type, he thought with a smirk as he commented sarcastically: “The whole reason men get paid more at work is because they actually _do_ stuff.” 

She opened her mouth wide to declare him the Ass of the Year and he took that opportunity to jab the food in her mouth. She looked startled, clamping her mouth shut He pointed at her. “You spit that out, that animal died in vain.” 

  
”Woo phig!” 

She chewed though and he definitely didn’t miss that, ‘mmmm, this is _so_ good’ look though she tried to mask it and failed. Chuckling as she swallowed, she hit him. “How dare you make me eat meat?!” 

“Honey bunny” he mock-cooed, “I gots news for you: they’re not going to stop killing animals because _you_ stop eating it. Vegetarianism makes sense if it improves your health, it makes sense if it’s going to _kill_ you, it makes sense if you don’t _like_ it. But just stopping, trying to make a statement trying to _oppose_ people killing animals in general, will make people laugh at you…like me! Now the abuse they face, yes, I'm entirely against that being brought up on a farm but at least _that's_ worth opposing. ” 

Gwen glared at him as he held out a plate of meat to her, tilting his head, “Meats and proteins are a food group. Food groups are to be balanced. I always eat my steak with huge amounts of vegetables. It’s healthy to eat a _balanced_ meal, dig?” 

Her purple gaze actually slacked a bit as she deliberated before mumbling, “…It’d-it’d be a waste of the animal’s life, right?” 

He nodded amiably, “And I guarantee you that this animal was not abused or anything. Regulations are tough as nails around here about that.” 

Visibly swallowing, she took the plate gruffly and sat down, staring at it, as he set the whole plate on the table with some steamed vegetables. She took a considerable amount of the veggies, probably to downplay her contempt for eating the meat though she practically scarfed that down. 

“It’s _so_ wrong” she suddenly remarked in an almost whiny voice, “It shouldn’t be this good, I should hate meat but it's so delicious.” 

Kyo had to laugh at that, “Well, why hate something you love?” 

“I heard Asians didn’t eat this much meat though” she mumbled, eating another piece with a steamed onion. 

“Well, my dad’s partially American and really, this area’s pretty Americanized. It’s just such a melting pot of cultures and a lot of them aren't exactly tradition Japanese” he explained. 

“Interesting…” 

Chewing, she swallowed and sent him a look, “By the way, not that you’d care, but I’m going to go to some midnight meetings at the college. I probably won’t make it back home until 4 a.m.” 

Kyo’s brows creased, “You guys are going to have like a buddy system, right?” 

“No, I’m the only one that doesn’t live on the mainland” she shrugged, “I can make it to the subway on my own.” 

Kyo scowled, “Gwen, man or woman, no one should be walking around the mainland at 3 or 4 in the morning. I’ve done it and gotten into street brawls myself, it’s not safe.” 

She just shrugged and he grunted, rolling his eyes, “I’ll get you.” 

“I don’t need your protection” the blonde remarked icily. 

“Fine, then get some of your feminist companions to drive you to the station.” 

“They won’t!” 

“Then I’ll come.” 

Gwen slammed her hands on the table, “You idiot, no one _knows_ I’m married. Tomei-sensei would kill me too if she found out!” 

Kyo’s eyes narrowed, “And I guess that’s her business somehow?” 

“She considers marriage to men the basis of the end of a woman’s independence and an end to her option to choose her own future” Gwen said haughtily. 

“Oh, so she’s wrong seeing as I _could_ be an absolute ass and make you be a housewife but I _don’t_.” 

She snorted, “If we were _seriously_ married.” 

“You wouldn’t get seriously married because of that, correct? The idea that if you get married, you lose your independence. However, you _are_ married and you haven’t. If you did get seriously married though, it’d be the exact same as now. Therefore, you don’t necessarily lose your freedom if you’re married.” 

Gwen leered at him, “If… _if_ we were seriously married, Kyo, you would want me to take on more responsibilities, thus, I _would_ lose freedom.” 

“But see, I would lose freedoms _too_ because I’d take on more responsibilities so it’s not always only the woman in the relationship” he countered. 

“To be seen” she muttered. 

“The f—k you mean ‘to be seen’? I clean, I cook, I do laundry! As far as this goes, we’re freakin’ married with me being the quote on quote 'housewife'!” 

She groaned, “Kyo, we are not married. At most, we are roommates. A roommate couldn’t change my freedoms but a _husband_ could.” 

Kyo snorted, shoving his food around, rather pouty suddenly, “…But I wouldn’t.” 

Gwen smirked at him, “Look, just stay away. I can take care of myself.” 

He rolled his eyes, “I’ll follow you in the car then. Or you know, park around the block so no one sees me. Does that sound reasonable?” 

“Except that I don’t need you to do it.” 

“Too bad. I am.” 

“Gah!” 

As much as she was arguing, Kyo was right, the idea of walking around at near dawn in the city was very undesirable. It’s not that she thought she was weak or anything, it just was considerably dangerous. She could fight off someone but she definitely couldn’t outrun a gun if someone so decided to shoot at her. 

But also, she was unnerved about how nice he was being to her lately. He was getting vegetables for her, making vegetarian meals for her, and well, lots of things. The cooking thing kind of got her a lot. It was really good. 

He sipped a beer and ‘mm’d’, “Want some more? I think there’s a little left.” 

“No, I’m full.” 

“Okay.” 

…As far as it all went, it…wasn’t so bad. 

…No! It was awful! She’d get out of this so quick when the two years were up, watch her! 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“…I’m hungry.” 

Yagami Kyo scratched his head groggily as he glanced back incredulously at Gwen Douglas who was holding her stomach. 

“You know I understand hunger like the next person but it’s almost 5:30 in the morning” he rasped, “Can’t you wait for breakfast?” 

He had went around 1:30 to wait for Gwen behind the building, napping for a bit but it didn’t really strike him until a bit later that he had to wait until 3:30 in the effin’ morning. Ugh! Course, when he thought about it _more_ , it depressed the hell out of him. He used to pull all-nighters longer than that when he was…young. 

She shrugged though, walking towards the kitchen, “Maybe I’ll make myself a quick sandwich. I can’t go to sleep hungry, it’d just keep me up.” 

With that, he noted he was pretty hungry too and that, for as tired as he was, he wouldn’t be able to sleep through what was left of the 'night' for the same reason. Walking in, taking out sandwich stuff, he glowered lightly at her. 

“So what happened at this event that takes place at ungodly hours of the day?” 

She spread some peanut butter on her sandwich and sniffed haughtily, “We discussed a book by Shere Hite called _Women and Love._ She discussed how women are ‘fed up’ with men and ready to fight back against them.” 

Kyo rolled his eyes, smearing on mayo, “How pleasant. How ever did she come to that wonderful conclusion?” 

“She did a survey of a hundred thousand women” she answered simply, “And four percent stated they were done with their marriages.” 

Kyo rolled his eyes around again, smashing his sandwich together. “That’s called Voluntary Response.” 

Gwen cocked a brow as he sat, “…What?” 

“When surveys like that are given, it’s a statistical principle called Voluntary Response that says usually only the people that care about such matters are going to take the survey and it’s usually because they have negative feelings towards the question at hand. So those women probably only took the survey because they are angry at their husband for something.” 

She crossed her arms and stared at him, “…I do recall that from Statistics, actually.” 

“I did like math in school” he shrugged. 

“Well, nevertheless! She actually taught in Tokyo which I find interesting. I hope to go to one of her understudy's seminars one day. She specializes in sexology--” 

“Woah, woah” Kyo put his hands up, interrupting, wide-eyed, “...I've never about _that_ major!” 

Gwen rolled her eyes. “She has argued about how seventy percent of women don’t…climax from ‘thrusting’ intercourse. They say they only are satisfied by masturbation or other more direct stimulation.” 

Kyo’s brow rose at that, “That’s a little troubling.” 

“Men only care about their pleasure” she snorted, “A whole thirty percent of women are pleased from direct intercourse.” 

“You’ve never had a good orgasm, ‘wife’?” he snorted. 

She turned bright red, “T-that’s none of your business!” 

Kyo chuckled huskily, “I take that as a ‘yes’.” 

“N-no!” 

He yawned and waved a hand, “Well, whether you have come when you have sex isn’t my concern.” 

“Pig!” 

He bit into his sandwich and stared at her wearily, “How long is this thing?” 

“A week.” 

“…Ugh.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Gwen yawned when she sat up in her bed, stretching, feeling rather refreshed. Thank goodness Tomei-sensei wrote a letter demanding she have excused absences for the spans of the week. 

The women really took all the students under her wing, treating them like her children and teaching the evils of, well, males. She told of how abusive her father was to her, how abusive her step-father was, how she chose a man that beat her senseless, and dated throughout high school men that used her. Now, she said, she’d learned her lesson and would not let any of her girls fall into the same trap. 

Walking into her bathroom to take a shower, she sighed contently. It was nice. She was rather sad the week was almost over. 

Pulling on the jeans and shirt her sister made her buy, she walked out and frowned. She slightly peeked into Kyo’s room, startled to find him there. For as slackerish as he acted, he was a bit of a workaholic when it came down to it, getting restless when he couldn’t find a temporary job. And to the best of her knowledge, he was currently at one so why was he home? 

“Kyo, didn’t you have to work today?” she spoke loudly. 

He jumped a little, obviously asleep, before looking at his clock and hissing loudly, “Damn it!” 

He practically leaped out of bed and pulled on his work clothes, darting towards the door past her. She scowled as he took off out the front door without a word. Sheesh, how unreliable… 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Gwen grimaced irritably as she walked around a couple times to avoid suspicion. How had they really noticed him though? 

“ _There’s this weird black car lurking around here lately…” muttered Chitose, one of Gwen’s classmates._

“ _Yea, and there’s some guy in it” hissed another._

_Gwen had frozen up. Tomei-sensei crossed her arms, “…We best find him and deal with it then. We will not allow such slights against us to prevail.”_

_The others bellowed in agreement and Gwen nearly died. Damn it. “Um, Tomei-sensei, didn’t you tell us the dean balked at the idea of you refusing security? Perhaps he has decided to just post someone undercover to, uh, spite us.”_

_The woman’s dark eyes suddenly widened and she hissed, “Of course. That’s right up that man’s alley!”_

_All the girls started to complain and hiss about the man debasing them and how Tomei-sensei was going to launch a complaint._

… _Ugh._

Climbing into the car that was placed in a way that Gwen still had no idea how anyone saw it without really looking for it, she glared at Kyo who was sitting straight up, his chin against his chest as he snored. Shaking his shoulder, growing nauseatingly anxious, she growled. 

“Kyo, we need to go before my classmates find us!” 

His eyes opened rather robotically and he mumbled something extremely incoherent before starting the car up, driving away. Gwen bit her lip and glanced back. No one, thank God. 

Glancing to him, she frowned deeply. He just looked like a zombie. Scowling, she waved a hand in front of his face at the stop light. Absolutely no response. Grumbling, she signaled. “Pull over.” 

Without a word, he did so, and she kicked him out of the driver’s seat to the passenger. He closed his eyes for a moment and finally spoke, his voice scratchy. “You do know how to drive in Japan, right?” 

She sulked, “Yes.” 

He didn’t really question anymore though if he had, she would have to admit only having done so twice with minimal success. But it was late so she could make it work. 

Opening his eyes, he glanced at her, “So what’s up?” 

“They saw you” she grumbled. 

He just yawned, “So they’re feminists and ninjas, huh?” 

Gwen glowered, “Tomorrow, just don’t come. There’s no need for them to blast you for something stupid.” 

Kyo glanced at her, surprised, and Gwen glared, “What?” 

“I’m just shocked you called something your people are threatening to do stupid and that it involves me on the opposite side for once.” 

“Don’t let it get to your head, it won’t happen again.” 

He just snickered and turned on his side, “Will do…” 

He strangely kept just falling into really deep sleeps before waking up, alarmed that he fell asleep in the first place. She grunted, turning into the station finally. “What’s wrong with you?” 

“Some of us still go to work after this crazy nightfest” he yawned, handing her the card to get them access across the bridge. 

Gwen blanked before it hit her. 

…He didn’t have a day off, did he? He was turning around three hours from the time they got home to go to work all day. 

“…Idiot! Why would you do something like that?” she demanded. 

Rubbing his brown eyes, he shrugged, “It’s not that big a deal. It just sucks because I used to do crap like this all the time and now it’s wearing me slam out.” 

Biting her lip, she glared ahead, “F-forget tomorrow then and sleep. I can make it to the station. Besides, they’ll kill you if you show up again.” 

Swallowing, staring at her after a moment, he sighed, “I hate taking he subway and stuff, especially since I have the car again but you can take it tomorrow since it’s the last night. I dunno why I didn’t think of it before, at least with a car you can zoom through the crazy streetness.” 

Gwen glanced at him slowly, “…I suppose. It’s still your car though.” 

He yawned, closing his eyes, “I’m going to sleep _all_ day tomorrow and nothing’s taking that from me. You can use it and just to guard against this crap happening again, let’s try and find you a car too.” 

Gwen bristled, “Cars give off an insane amount of emissions!” 

“We’ll get you a hybrid then” he remarked dryly, “Or an electric car.” 

She grumbled but, well, it would be useful. The subways were pretty interesting here but where she came from, a guy would be facing multiple lawsuits for what they thought was their right to subject women to in Japanese subways. 

She glanced to him, pretty much unconscious by this point, and shook her head miserably. She hated… _hated_ that she felt bad for him. He was the one that decided to do this, she didn’t ask for his protection. She didn’t _need_ it. 

But he did and she didn’t honestly get the idea that he was degrading her, considering her to be weaker. If she was anyone, a guy friend even, he’d probably demand to do the same thing even though it was kind of draining on him. 

…Why would he do such a “nice” thing? 

… 


	6. Lessons Six

“My God, you’ve done it.” 

Gwen’s gaze snapped up to her dad and she sulked. Damn it, why’d he have to come in here now? Kyo smiled lightly at him as he cut up a grilled chicken breast which she unfortunately just had to be eating at this moment! But damned if she really cared. It was pretty good, all things considered. 

Lane Douglas seemed pretty content with it though, not all that happy when she gave up consuming meat as she was 'unhealthy thin' to begin with. He gave her a slip of paper. “And there you are, Gwen, the title for the car.” 

She ‘mm’d’ and wiped her fingertips on the napkin before taking it from him, “Thank you.” 

“Now you have to do something for me.” 

Gwen froze and glared up at him. Kyo almost snickered. Man, what demanding parents. He got married and his mom was completely off his back. Her parents just took it as a go to go for more. 

“Your five year high school reunion” he smiled brightly. 

“ _Never_.” 

“Please! I promised the principal you’d go. You were the vice president!” he insisted. 

“Why the hell should I care?!” snapped Gwen, “That was different times and it doesn’t matter now!” 

“Psh!” the man waved a hand, laughing haughtily, “Ah, Kyo! Are you busy?” 

“…Uh, I have work and stuff tomorrow” he smiled quickly. 

…But about three phone calls later, he and Gwen were sitting in the Douglas’ private jet with Kyo apparently on _paid_ vacation and Gwen taking a sabbatical from school, completely excused. 

Kyo just sat there, gripping the arms of the chair, wide-eyed, as Gwen hissed, sitting across from him with her face buried in her hands. “I’m…so-so sorry.” 

He gazed around rapidly, out the window, shocked that he was just completely out of the blue heading to America and burden free. “I mean, my God, if they said they need the world to turn the other way, could they accomplish that?!” 

Gwen just slumped, “Well this is _useless_. I am _not_ going to this thing.” 

“Yea, somehow the Queen cheerleader suddenly becoming manly seems like it’d be a downer…” he said drowsily. 

  
She kicked his shin and hissed, “I’ll see Marissa!” 

“Who?” he cocked a brow. 

She looked distraught, “She was the historian, my best friend. You know, the one where her dad was diagnosed with cancer while I screwed her boyfriend?” 

“That…shouldn’t be awkward” he coughed at length. 

“We haven’t spoken since” she mumbled, “And I bet that Lacey is the one that made her dad, the Principal, get my dad to force me to come.” 

Kyo was confused and she grumbled, “Lacey was one of those ‘friends’ that would turn on you in a heartbeat and talk about you behind your back. Her dad’s the principal and she somehow managed to be President all four years of high school. She’s going to just talk about me at the reunion and how I’m the slut that slept with my best friend’s boyfriend.” 

“Ouch.” 

“And you know what’s really awful?” she said mock-cheerfully, “You’re going!”  
  
Kyo just glared, “The hell I am! I don’t know anyone from your effin’ California high school!” 

“I’m supposed to show off my husband” she rolled her eyes. 

“Ugh!” 

She kicked up her feet and sighed, “It’s a sixteen to twenty hour flight so I suppose we should get comfortable.” 

“UGH.” 

Kyo just shook his head. The more he went through this, the more he saw he was getting pretty much _nothing_ from it. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _Oh my God_ , that place was in Guitar Hero!!” 

Gwen rubbed her temple and glowered at her ‘husband’ who was practically hanging out the window of the limo, looking at Hollywood as they passed it, his eyes wide. 

“Ahh!! Can we come back?! Can we, can we?!” he said like an excited child. 

Gwen smiled at him mock-pleasantly, “Sure, if that’s what you want, _sweetie._ ” 

“ _No way_!” gasped Kyo, completely pushing his upper torso out of the car, “CARRIE!” 

Gwen grunted and grabbed his shirt, dragging him back in, “Stop being such a tourist!” 

He gasped, his phone suddenly ringing. Answering, he gasped again, “Oh my God, you heard me!” 

Gwen snickered and Kyo continued to talk to his actress cousin as they made their way through the expanse of California, finally pulling into the familiar estate that was the Douglas home. Kyo clicked off after a moment and frowned, looking out the window. 

“What are we, in a park…?” 

“No, this is the area before we get to my family home” Gwen rolled her eyes around. 

“Jesus!” 

Gwen just sighed and they finally arrived at the front door. Kyo, however, didn’t seem all that shocked by just how immense it was. 

“Not impressed anymore?” she snorted. 

“Well, my grandparent’s house is bigger, actually…” he said awkwardly. 

Gwen just couldn’t imagine it but didn’t doubt it. His grandfather was a famous neurosurgeon and an all-around surgeon on top of it while his grandmother was a world famous designer. Duh. 

Entering the house, she sighed. She hadn’t been back in so long. Blinking, a dog barking actually made her smile a bit. Two golden retrievers darted towards them and she gasped as one knocked her over, the other taking the opportunity to lick her face before they both decided it was a good idea. 

“Mimzy, Kiwi, stop!” 

Kyo cocked a brow but kind of gave a lopsided grin, “Kiwi? Mimzy?” 

The dogs noticed him and immediately shifted their attention, sniffing him thoroughly before apparently deciding he was okay, leaping on him so they could get a closer look or whatever the reason dogs did that was. He laughed and ruffled their fur playfully. 

“Oh, I miss Ramen…” he suddenly said sadly. 

Gwen just stared, “What?” 

“That was our beagle. He died and we never really got over it much. He was my and my sibling's best friend” he said with a short sighing laugh. 

Gwen actually couldn’t really imagine Kyo with a dog but Mimzy and Kiwi seemed taken, running at his feet as he walked further in. He blinked as maids and servants had them sit in a room and returned almost instantly with a glass of orange juice. 

He smiled awkwardly, taking the cup and thanking them. She sighed as they gave her the lemonade she liked. Kyo cocked a brow as they left. “I mean, I feel all special and stuff but was that necessary? I can get my own glass of orange juice.” 

Gwen shrugged, “I think it’s arbitrary but they do choose to do it for a living.” 

Kyo stroked his chin, “I suppose that’s true.” 

He glanced at the wall before smirking, his brow raising, “Um, is that you?” 

She looked up quickly and gasped, rushing to take the picture of her in the ballerina dress at ten down. He laughed and she threw a pillow at him, “Shut up!” 

Mimzy rested her nose on his knee, panting, and he rubbed her knobby head, yawning, “Ah well, think I can lay down? I haven’t ever done a trip like that in my life.” 

Gwen nodded in agreement and stood, waving him up the long, long marble staircase to the third floor. She put him in a nicely decorated room and he sighed, slamming down on the massive bed and looking around the room the size of half of his childhood home. 

…So wow. This was California. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Sara Douglas laughed with her friends, two blonde girls on either side, and walked towards their family pool. It was something they typically did on a Friday before going out to the mall in Hollywood and Rodeo Drive. 

But maybe today was going to be a little different, she gawked, as she found her older sister sitting on one of the chairs near the pool, reading a novel. 

The girls blinked, surprised, “Oh, is that your sister?” 

“…Yes” she quickly smiled. 

“She’s so pretty!” 

Gwen must have been ‘loosening’ up because she was wearing one of her old pair of jean capris, a white belt, and a yellow colored tank top. She almost seemed normal except she used to wear teeny bikinis near the pool. 

Before Sara could open her mouth and demand what she was doing, oh, in California, she jumped when the water broke. 

…Oh, her “brother-in-law” too? 

Yagami Kyo surfaced, wiping his face of the chlorinated water with his hands. She swallowed. Her sister was nuts, he was freakin’ sexy. His muscles were extraordinarily ripped, a tattoo of a phoenix looking thing on his shoulder. Running his fingers backwards through his hair, he waded over to Gwen, resting his elbows on the edge of the pool. 

“Gwen-dolyn, don’t you think it’s lame to read by the pool?” 

She looked up at him and glared, “I’m fine, thank you.” 

He pouted and pushed out of the water, “Come on! It’s freezing back in Mineral, you should get some swimming in now!” 

“No.” 

“Don’t make me do my Lion King rendition” he threatened lightly. 

“Lion King rendition?” she echoed. 

Gwen actually squealed when he picked her around her stomach, kicking and threatening his life before doing a backwards fall into the pool…with her. Sara had to gawk. Was he crazy? 

Gwen pushed herself up and gasped for air before screaming, starting to go after Kyo who was already across the pool away from her, “I’ll kill you!” 

Kyo just laughed and rapidly swam away from her as she pursued him. Sara’s eyes narrowed and her friends blinked. 

“Woah, who is he? He’s sexy!” 

“That’s my…sister’s husband” she remarked slowly. 

Kyo, the sadist, laughed harder when Gwen caught him, slapping his back for all she was worth before ‘hmphing!’ and climbing out, only for him to tug her back in. “Ah!” 

She probably could have murdered him then but Sara quickly smiled, growing annoyed that, well, they almost seemed closer. Gwen would have tried to spout off something made up about how sexist he was being, wanting to see her wet or something. Instead, she was just kind of doing what was a pretty reasonable reaction to what he was doing. 

“You’re a glutton for punishment, aren’t you, Kyo-chan?” she asked, getting closer. 

Gwen gasped, having put Kyo in a headlock, before looking up at all of them, “S-Sara…” 

Kyo grinned, “Sorry. Were you ladies going to use the pool?” 

“No, you’re fine” smiled Sara slowly, “Just, uh, what are you guys doing here?” 

Gwen finally climbed out of the pool permanently with Kyo following, grabbing a towel off a chair, “Father is making me go to my high school reunion so he force flew me and Kyo here.” 

She glowered at him as he lazily grinned, handing her a towel too which she snatched away with a pout. Sara crossed her arms, “Oh, that’s cool…” 

Sara glanced at her friends who seemed rather eager. “Oh, um, Gwen, Kyo, this is Sia and Marion. Sia, Marion, this is my sister Gwen and…brother-in-law, Kyo.” 

Gwen leered at her but Kyo smiled, “Nice to meet you.” 

They got extremely excited, questioning about Japan and whatnot. Sara sighed and glanced at the time. 

“Guys, we have to go if we want to be able to get to Rodeo now.” 

Gwen rolled her eyes, “You still go to that expensive place?” 

Sara snorted, “It used to be your favorite place in the universe.” 

Kyo gasped, “I want to go to Hollywood!” 

Gwen glanced at him before rolling her eyes around, “He seems rather…taken with the idea of Hollywood Boulevard and the stars and whatnot.” 

The girls clapped and seemed rather ecstatic about the proposition of taking him there. Gwen wasn’t quite as happy about it but they all piled into her old car, a sexy silver Mercedes Benz. 

Kyo sat in front and played with her radio, his eyes wide, “Wow, this thing is tight.” 

“Shows how materialistic I used to be” she muttered, glancing over her shoulder. 

Kyo glanced at her, “So your parents were just like, 'here, have a pretty, custom tricked out expensive car'?” 

She shook her head, “I had gotten straight As for three years.” 

He blinked, “Then your parents think you earned it.” 

She grunted, “They asked what I wanted. I could have had anything but I asked for a car I haven’t driven in four years.” 

“Well, wouldn’t you if you were here? I mean, be reasonable. Unless your parents wanted to convert it for Japan all it can do is sit here” he pointed out. 

Gwen just sighed and Sara nearly rolled her eyes from her place in the backseat, “You _always_ complain. I didn’t get a car!” 

“Uh, when’s the last time you got an A?” 

“I…shut up!” 

Kyo laughed, turning the radio up a bit, “It’s okay, Sara, my older brother made Dean’s List in college all four years and got this uber expensive SUV with all the tricks on it from our dad for it. Unfortunately I wasn’t quite as dedicated.” 

Gwen cocked a brow, surprised, “Your brother’s…smart?” 

“I guess” he snorted, “He’s done some stupid things.” 

“I have a more important question!” Sara inserted, pushing between them, “Is he hot?” 

Gwen rolled her eyes and he laughed a bit, “I can’t say. People say we look a lot alike but he’s always been kind of…girly.” 

“He’s gay?” gasped Sara. 

“No!” laughed Kyo, “What’s the term? Metro?” 

The girls all expressed interest in meeting this brother but Kyo sighed, rubbing his brow, “Unfortunately he’s off…discovering himself again.” 

Gwen shot him a glance before groaning, “Ugh, I forgot how much I hate L.A. traffic!” 

Kyo’s eyes widened as she pulled a pretty breakneck move in front of someone, turning, “…It seems a little crazy. Or at least you do.” 

“Shut up!” 

Kyo’s eyes started to glow as Gwen pulled into an underground parking garage in a mall, “This is sweet!” 

She smirked as she fought for a parking spot and Kyo gasped, practically diving out of the car. The girls followed and he started to actually… _hop._

“C’mon, c’mon!” 

Gwen rolled her eyes and Sara giggled, the girls hooking his arm as they led him through the mall. They made him pose in front of fountains and by the golden huge elephant statues for pictures. He looked at the stalls and he blinked. 

“…It’s so weird! I’m in effin’ California!” 

Gwen cocked a brow, “Is that so weird?” 

“Well yea, considering a day ago I was in Japan, it is.” 

She sighed heavily and grabbed his shirt when he started to dart off towards some other shiny store, “C’mon, I bet you’ll be more amazed by the Hollywood Stars.” 

His attention turned so sharply and he gasped, “ _Oh my God_ , show me!” 

She just snorted and led him ‘outside’ and he about lost his mind. Gwen snickered when he wanted to pose by a bunch of people’s stars. “Ozzy!!” 

Sara’s eyes narrowed as Gwen followed him, her arms crossed. She kept grabbing him and telling him to be careful, like some nagging mother which was just weird. Sia came beside her and smiled. “They seem like a kind of weird couple but they’re cute!” 

“…Yea.” 

Sara jumped, alarmed, when she heard her sister laugh. _L_ _augh_? It wasn’t a haughty or girly laugh but Gwen laughing? Even a _little_? Incredulous, she looked up to see what could possibly render such a taboo and found Kyo staring at one of the street actors who looked so old and decrepit that it was hard to imagine that he was anything more than a statue. Sara remembered when their parents first brought them they showed him that the person was real, it was just impossible to believe. And Kyo, who was poking the guy and actually getting all in his face, didn’t seem to believe it either. 

Gwen, surprisingly, gave Kyo a dollar to tip the ‘statue’ and Kyo cocked a brow but dropped the dollar into the bowl the guy had and jumped about a million miles when the 'statue' started to move.“Holy s—t!!” 

Gwen snickered and grabbed the hem of his shirt, dragging him further up the block. Marion frowned, whispering to her. “Why doesn’t she just grab his hand…?” 

Sara wanted to say because it was all a sham, that they were faking, that they weren’t married. Hell, they didn’t even like each other. 

But something seemed…a little off. 

“…Gwen gets kind of embarrassed by PDA” she lied. 

Kyo stared happily at the golden guy in the top hat that started moving like a robot when tipped. Gwen cocked a brow and glanced across the street at the Kodak Theater and her brow’s rose.“Bleh, a movie opening…” 

Sara crossed her arms and the girls squealed as actors and actresses came out, surrounded by paparazzi. Kyo blinked before grinning as one of the actresses crossed the street to try and avoid crowds. She was surrounded by the excited photographers, her bodyguards nearby but weren’t really forcing the overzealous followers away. Skipping over, managing to elbow through the crowd, he followed her with his hands in his pockets. 

Sara cocked a brow. Was he crazy? But they followed closely, Sia and Marion almost fainting from the proximity. Photographers were trying to elbow them out of the way, annoyed. Kyo wasn’t dissuaded however. 

“Oh, _I_ see. You’re too good for me, huh?” he questioned. 

The actress glanced at him and he continued, “I mean, God, you just went off and got all cool and stuff, forgot about your roots in the back country!” 

…Man, he was weird. But the actress’ lips started to curl weirdly, almost into a smile. What? 

“Oh, oh, wait, it’s because I’m not the _right_ Yagami, right? You just like the others better than me!” he lamented loudly. 

She just continued on but Kyo just continued to ramble, “But oh, I know all about you, sister. I know that back in the day, you used to go and drink rum with Jyun when you were like, 10, and then you’d run around naked in the sprinklers and--” 

Sara gawked herself when the actress suddenly started to laugh and reached out, hitting Kyo, “Shut up! Who let you out of Japan?” 

Sia and Marion nearly passed out and the paparazzi went pretty nuts when Carria Inaba hugged his waist, him returning the gesture as they skipped along. “So Mrs. Inaba, care to take me out for a night on the town?” 

Carrie snickered, “Where to, Mr. Yagami?” 

“I don’t know, I don’t frequent Cali much.” 

Sara swallowed. How…how did he know her? The paparazzi seemed _really_ curious about that question and Carrie blinked at them before sticking out her tongue, her eyes narrowing. “This is my cousin. Nothing big.” 

“Ouch!” 

She laughed again and pinched him, “C’mon, we can go to the Laugh Factory and get some drinks.” 

Kyo glanced over his shoulder, “Sound good, Gwen?” 

The blonde just kind of shrugged, “If you like. I might go home and try and get prepared for this thing tomorrow.” 

“Psh, might as well go hung over, it won’t be fun whatsoever” Kyo snorted. 

Gwen smirked, “I guess…” 

“Great, great. Want to get in the limo?” questioned Carrie. 

Gwen glanced at Sara who was just still shell-shocked. Sighing, she responded shyly, “Um, I can’t really leave my sister but she’s not old enough to get into the club…” 

Carrie laughed, waving a hand, “No big.” 

“Well, maybe we should take Gwen’s car too. I don’t want to leave it here long or let it be the only one in the lot” frowned Kyo. 

Gwen nodded, “I’ll follow you guys then. Want to wait here?” 

Kyo nodded and Gwen waved the three teens to follow. Sara hissed when they got far away, “Your ‘husband’ is related to Carrie Inaba?!” 

Gwen shrugged awkwardly, “I kind of forgot she was so big in the states. I see her a lot back at home. She’s big in Japan but not this big.” 

Marion and Sia were beside themselves. Sara was just irked. Hot husband? Celebrity relatives? And it was all fake. 

It just pissed her off. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kyo groaned as he turned over in the bed, his eyes burning and his head throbbing. Okay, note to self: Dirty Bong Water may taste like a Jolly Rancher but it was not a Jolly Rancher, it was freakin’ booze. 

Turning on his side to face the middle of the bed, he stared at Gwen for a long, long, _long_ moment. 

…Stared at Gwen. 

The woman’s eyelids were dark and she seemed almost dead to the world but surprisingly said: “Don’t yell. We’re supposed to be sleeping together back in Japan.” 

“As long as you tell me _nothing_ happened, I won’t.” 

Gwen kicked him, “Of course nothing happened!” 

He sighed and sat up, rubbing his face and blocking his eyes from the pervasive sunlight in the room, “Do you remember getting home last night?” 

“Not particularly” she mumbled, slumping as she sat up, “I do remember your cousin leaving us though because of some emergency…” 

“Mm, I guess your sister drove us home then” he grimaced, crawling to the end of the bed and grabbing his suitcase, “Aspirin, please be in here…” 

Gwen scratched her head anxiously, “It’s already 12. This stupid reunion is in seven hours.” 

Kyo sighed, “That’s a while off. Want to do something until then?” 

“Why…?” 

He snorted, “Well, if you want to stick around here all day, sure. I just wanted to kind of explore and stuff. Reminds me of before we got married.” 

“I keep you from exploring?” she demanded. 

“No. Just forget it” he muttered. 

Gwen rolled her eyes, “We can go to Chinatown. But you’re Asian, it just seems like a waste.” 

“Well, I’m not _Chinese_ but…” 

The blonde woman suddenly looked thoughtful, “Oh wait, the Fisherman’s Wharf. We can jump on the bullet train and get some sourdough and have seafood.” 

Kyo’s attention came front and center, “Food? Ahh! The Golden Gate Bridge!! I want to go!” 

She smirked at him, “Fine.” 

California, to her, was the things of what the Red Hot Chili Peppers spoke: would-be’s wanting to make it big, just a generally celebrity style of life, and, well, it just seemed so fake. But she lived in that world. Not everyone in California did and she almost envied them. 

And Kyo’s just kind of excited behavior about being there was…cute. 

…No! Men were not cute, gah! 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Gwen closed her eyes as a cool breeze floated in off the bay, leaning against the railing. San Fran. She missed this, at least. 

“This bread is kind of _too_ sourdoughy.” 

She glared at her ‘husband’ for breaking her calm, cocking a brow as he ate the bread, “I mean, bitter bread without anything is just kind of bitter bread without anything.” 

“That is some of the most well-known bread in the United States! And my God, I didn’t think you could ever complain about food” she rolled her eyes. 

“Hey, I didn’t say I _wouldn’t_ eat it.” 

She snorted and snatched it from him, tearing herself a piece before handing it back to him as he rested his elbows on the railing, staring out. 

“…I wish I had a girlfriend.” 

Gwen glowered at him and he sighed, “I mean, this just seems so romantic-ish and all I have is you, my fake wife.” 

Gwen frowned and looked at the water, “…Blake brought me here for our anniversary once. It was kind of cool.” 

Kyo’s brow furrowed, “How long were you with him?” 

“Since second year of junior high” she muttered, “So dumb.” 

Kyo grunted, “That guy was with you for six years and he sleeps with your sister like it’s nothing? Jeez, no wonder you don’t like men.” 

Gwen, surprising him, smiled wistfully, “I thought about what you said, you know, about making choices? And maybe I don’t want to believe you partially because if that’s the case, my sister made the decision to sleep with my boyfriend who…I _thought_ I was in love with.” 

Kyo grimaced at that and awkwardly patted her shoulder, “Don’t put too much into it, Gwen, I’m sure she had her reasons too.” 

Gwen snorted, “She’s always been like that. She’s always been convinced I got everything so whenever the chance to screw me over came, she did it.” 

“Eh, he didn’t seem that great anyway…” 

Gwen leaned backwards against the railing, “Well, he was attractive. And we always were out doing things, not necessarily just sex based or anything but he knew how to pick things I’d enjoyed at that time. I mean, I liked him.” 

“Wow Gwen, you’re making me kind of jealous.” 

“For what?” she demanded incredulously, hitting his arm. 

“I dunno” he laughed, “Usually in this situation it’d be like I’m not measuring up to my wife's ex-boyfriend but then, I wouldn’t, we’re not a couple.” 

“Seriously” she snorted before frowning a little, “It disturbs me though, that I could have just stayed that flighty, happy, preppy person if we hadn’t done that.” 

“Well, if I was your boyfriend, you’d still be a ditz.” 

“Stop saying stuff like that!” she grunted, punching his hip. 

He laughed and Gwen could tell he was messing around. Idiot. He waved her on, grinning. “C’mon, let’s explore a little more before this hellish reunion.” 

But somehow, that seemed okay. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“…I never wanted to be back here” Gwen whined, dropping her head against the steering wheel of her car. 

Yagami Kyo frowned at her before looking at the school. It was already packed with people. He sighed, opening his door. “Better to just get it over with.” 

She definitely didn’t seem so sure and he smirked, dragging her from the car as she whined loudly. He’d had to keep himself from rolling on the ground, laughing, when her sister forced her to wear a long maroon tunic like shirt with a belt and tights. It was too girly cute. But the death glare she gave him managed to reduce it to a snicker. 

“This sucks such major ass…” she mumbled. 

He nodded gravely as this would be really weird. Opening the door, she swallowed and paused before turning around and rushing back out. Kyo’s eyes widened and he followed her. “Um, where are you going?”  
  


“I-I can’t, Kyo!” she blurted. 

“Why not? Just say ‘hey, been a while’ and that’s it…” 

“But I’ve _changed_. I’m-I’m not that same bubbly 'hip-hip-hurray' Gwen! It’ll be awful!” 

“…Did you really just say ‘hip-hip-hurray'?” 

She punched him in the side and he scowled, “Ow!” 

Rubbing the spot as she just looked freaked, he sighed, “Gwen, just go in there and take one for the team. You’re right, if you go in and are all doom-and-gloom, ‘feminist will dominate the universe’, people will be very weirded out. But if you go in their at least nice and chattish then there shouldn’t be any issue. People do change and it’d be weird if you still were a preppy cheerleader. Just say you’ve toned it down.” 

Gwen swallowed and mumbled, “Just…just to get it over with, right?” 

“Yep.” 

She stared down for a moment before taking a deep breath. He looked at her incredulously as she was actually _trembling_. “Hey, hey, you’re scaring me here. No one in there is going to attack you.” 

“I…I guess” she whispered. 

Kyo sighed and gingerly grabbed her wrist, dragging her in. He grimaced as his face was hit by a bright beam of light. Jeez, was this a dance club or a gym? 

“GWEN!” 

Gwen shivered before quickly putting on a smile. Kyo looked up as a bunch of girls rushed to her and moved out of the way. Well, time to go hold up a wall. 

Gwen looked to him helplessly and he mouthed ‘I’ll be right here’. She swallowed and looked to her…friends. 

“Uh, hi, guys!” 

She gasped as they attacked her with hugs, Michelle asking, “Oh my God, we haven’t seen you in _forever_. Where have you been?” 

Shelly, whom she’d known since third grade, propped her hands on her hips and tilted her blonde head, “Seriously! I thought you were going to UCLA, girl!” 

“Oh, uh, I actually decided to study in Japan” she laughed anxiously. 

The trio looked bewildered, Rachel asking, “Japan? I mean, what’s there?” 

Shelly looked sad, “Oh babe, you didn’t go to another country because of Marissa and Blake, did you?” 

Gwen grimaced at that assertion because, in all honesty, it was the truth. Rachel shook her head. “He was a total ass about it, Gwen! Sure you guys had an open relationship but oh my gawd, sleeping with your _sister_? Dickery at it’s best!” 

“And Marissa didn't have an open relationship but Ryan slept through girls like crazy! She needed a good reason to leave him” Michelle added. 

“That’s not a good reason though” Gwen found herself whining, “I slept with him! She’s like my best friend and-and ugh, I’m…I’m a horrible person. Is she here? I can’t see her, I’ll kill myself.” 

Michelle chided lightly, “Don’t be a drama queen, Ms. Douglas, things aren’t that bad. And you should really talk to her too. I bet some things have changed.” 

“Maybe…” Gwen whispered. 

“So anyways, what’s up! Oh my God, you’re not tanned or anything! What do you do in Japan?” questioned Rachel. 

“Mostly study” she admitted with a shy laugh, “I…it seems kind of lame when I come back here and remember the old days.” 

Though honestly she was happier those days were over. 

“Whatever, Gwen! You were always freakin’ studious, ya’ nerd. Like remember that time you freaked when you got a low _A_ in French? I was like, 'oh my God, shut up, I got a freakin’ D'” Shelly rolled her eyes, waving a hand. 

Gwen couldn’t help stick out her tongue, “Uh, no, I got a _B_ , thank you.” 

“Oh, okay, that must mean I really got an _F_ , biotch. Thanks for reminding me” Shelly returned the gesture. 

Gwen had to laugh, “Well, if you say so.” 

Rachel snickered, “She’s right. For as much partying as we did, you did study so much harder than we did. It’s just weird you’d give up UCLA to go somewhere else in another country. You could have any job you want with a degree from there. I mean, what are you studying?” 

Gwen opened her mouth. “Uh, Women’s Studies, actually…” 

They stared at her and she groaned. Great, she knew it. 

“…So wait, you’re like a crazy ‘men suck’ person?” questioned Michelle. 

“Which, mind you, makes sense after the whole Blake thing, girl, you two were forever” added Rachel, “But…” 

“N-no! There’s more to it than ‘men suck’. I kind of hope to do some social work with it. You know, help battered women and stuff” Gwen explained. 

She didn’t expect that to make it any better but surprisingly, they brightened, “Oh!” 

“That’s cool! You’ll get to help people” nodded Shelly knowingly, “And you did like doing all those charity events back in the day. It’s perfect.” 

Gwen was astonished, “…Really? You-you guys don’t think it’s weird or anything?” 

Not that she really cared, it wasn't going to affect her aspirations, but she’d always believed they’d think she was kind of crazy. But… 

Michelle waved a hand, “Uh, nooo? You’re just doing something you always liked to do if you do social work and stuff. If you did it back in high school then why not try to turn it into a career? It’s not that weird a choice at all.” 

“But you haven’t given up men, right? There’s some really cute Asian guys and I hope you haven’t been turning them down” Shelly remarked, crossing her arms. 

Gwen grimaced before realizing, holy crap, Kyo was going to be uber useful if this question came up a lot. 

“Um, actually, I…eloped” she grinned nervously. 

The girls gasped and squealed, “What!! Really? To who?! Do you have a picture?! Is he hot?” 

Maybe they hadn’t seen that Kyo had dragged her in. It had been kind of dark. “Um, actually, he’s here.” 

They gasped again and she waved them over towards him where he was eying the buffet table as if he were having some inner conflict. She snickered. Idiot. “Kyo…” 

He looked up and blinked, “Hmm?” 

“Kyo, these are my friends, Shelly, Michelle, and Rachel. Girls, this is Kyo.” 

Kyo opened his mouth but was surprised when the girls instantly surrounded him, sizing him up intensely. 

“Oh my God, are you really Japanese?” 

“What do you do?” 

“How tall are you?” 

“Oh my God, I love your hair!”  
  


“You’re pretty!” 

“I want to go to Japan!” 

Gwen cocked a brow and Kyo just laughed, “Uh, yes. I’m kind of a jack-of-all-trades. 5’11. And thanks deuces. And I’m sure it’d be nice if some of Gwen’s friends come to visit.” 

“Ah! Your English is awesome!” 

Gwen smirked as they seemed enraptured with him. Not so much that he was hot but just because, well, Kyo was a little odd in terms of what people were used to, she’d come to notice. He didn’t look all that Asian though she was in the same boat herself. And for whatever reason, all the guys in his family were taller than what was average in Japan. And when he spoke in English, he did actually lack that thick accent… 

Shelly, her Queen of Outspoken friend, turned to her, looking serious, “Gwen, they say that Asian guys are under-endowed. Is it true?” 

  
“ _Shelly_!” 

Kyo just blinked innocently though he looked rather amused, “Why wife, what _do_ you think of it?” 

“I think I’ll _kill_ you!” she flustered, pinching him. 

She squealed as he hugged her and actually _kissed_ her cheek, “Aww baby, but every inch is _all_ for you.” 

“ _Oh my God_.” 

Kyo laughed, releasing her, and she elbowed him, “Idiot!” 

He grinned unrepentantly before signaling ‘one second’, glancing at his phone, “Ah, one moment, it’s my mother.” 

He exited the building to answer and Gwen just kind of leered but whatever the case was, Shelly, Michelle, and Rachel seemed to buy it. 

“You two are so cute! And he’s _so_ much hotter than Blake” Michelle announced. 

“I know! You’re so lucky, you, finding a guy like that” Rachel sighed. 

“You never did answer the penis question!” Shelly complained. 

Gwen didn’t know why, but she laughed as she blushed, “What does it matter, Shelly? Maybe I don’t want you to know!” 

“And you would do that to me! I’ll just get him to flash it to me then” Shelly sighed airily. 

Gwen smirked, figuring she should try to act a little possessive but it was hard. “Well, as long as _flashing_ it is all that happens…” 

“Oh, so you’re okay with me seeing your man’s babymaker, huh?” 

“Babymaker?” demanded Gwen, laughing heavily. 

Rachel grabbed her arm, “Hey, hey, we can talk more about penis later, there’s a party to attend to.” 

Gwen was actually more into the idea of just sticking with those three. She kind of forgot but they actually were the understanding ones in their own way. And if they disagreed, it wasn’t tragic or anything like with Lacey, they just agreed that they disagreed and went on with it. 

…How had she forgotten about them? 

“Gwenny!” 

She looked up and gasped as arms were once again thrown around her, this time guy's. She almost felt offended that they just walked up to her and hugged her but then it kind of dissolved when they were just gruff and treating her like ‘one of the guys’. 

“Gwen is a not a freakin’ sack, Roy, put her down” scowled Shelly. 

The football player grinned and dropped her before sulking, “Oi! What happened? You look all vampire pale!” 

“She is not vampire pale; She’s just not tanned” Michelle amended. 

“I’ve been in Japan” she informed. 

Mitchell, another football player, stroked his chin, “Land of the rising sun? Why? Isn’t it hard to know another language and junk?” 

“Gwen is like, a fourth Japanese or something” Rachel reported. 

“Wahhh? Gwen doesn’t look like she’s got an Asian bone in her body, man!” 

Gwen smirked. In truth, it was about right and she always wondered if she was just odd. However, when she met Kyo, it was like, ‘dude, you live in Japan, why do you look so not Japanese?’. But she always felt her mother tried to reject her Japanese culture too. 

“So I heard Blake’s going to be here, Gwen-bell. Want me to rough him up a bit?” questioned Trey, the linebacker if she remembered correctly. 

Gwen wanted to say something along the lines of ‘I don’t need you to fight my battles’ but Roy elbowed him, “No way, man, I bet Gwen beat his ass already. She’s abusive like that.” 

“Ass” Gwen had to snicker, elbowing him in return. 

Bobby, one of the guys she unfortunately slept with but also Shelly's kind of polyamorous boyfriend, cleared his throat, “Uh, maybe you should go though, Gwen.” 

They all shot him an incredulous glare and he grimaced, “I-I don’t mean I’m not glad to see you or anything! It-it’s just that Blake, he might do something…” 

“Like what?” she grunted. 

“He’s gotten kind of weird lately” reiterated Bobby, “He’s actually been going out with Lacey but he’s really hard on drugs and stuff in college…” 

Gwen frowned, shaking her head, “Have you tried getting him to get help?” 

“You know him, Gwen, he’s Blake Graves. Nothing he does is wrong” Bobby rolled his eyes. 

Gwen sighed in agreement and gasped when Kyo randomly rolled up beside her, “Wow, you would have been ‘Gwen Graves’? Like a perfect goth rock name.” 

“Idiot” she grunted. 

The football players all cocked a brow and Shelly pointed, “Hey. You, me, back locker. I have a stereotype that needs amending.” 

Kyo laughed and Gwen smirked at the woman, shaking her head, “I see the one track mind thing hasn't changed.” 

“Umm…” hedged Roy. 

Gwen blinked at them before ‘ohing’, “This is Yagami Kyo, he’s my…husband.” 

“What?” the guys all echoed in unison. 

“Gwen…Kyo?” echoed Trey, a.k.a. who she used to call Wonder Blond. 

She snickered, “Asian cultures put their surnames first. If I _did_ take his name, it’d be Gwen Yagami or Yagami Gwen if I want to do the Japanese thing.” 

“Ugh, that’s so like you, Gwen. You kept ‘Douglas’, didn’t you?” Michelle rolled her eyes. 

Kyo smirked and Roy cocked a brow, “Oh _really_? Give ‘em a kiss, I can’t believe you’d go with such a pretty boy.” 

“Roy!” 

“That sounded kind of gay for you, Roy” snickered Shelly. 

Gwen glared and glanced at Kyo who just cocked a brow at her. Would it be suspicious if they refused? It’d be too awkward! 

“Well?” Roy said expectedly. 

Kyo looked just kind of exasperated or at least she knew he was. She almost squealed when he grasped her shoulder opposite him and pulled her a little at an angle, tossing her a bit to throw her head back…and kissed her. 

She flushed, in absolute disbelief, and did squeal when he dipped his tongue into her mouth. Hitting his arm, turning bright red, she squeaked, slapping his arm heavily when he pulled away and turned, laughing even though he was blushing too. 

“ _Buta_!” 

“Wow, you’re blushing, Misses I-Used-To-Make-Out-With-Blake-In-Front-Of-My-Dad?” smirked Michelle. 

Gwen sulked, “In Japan, PDA isn’t kosher.” 

Shelly looked cross, “So what? You won’t let me see your penis then?” 

The guys just looked at her, confused, and Kyo laughed, “I’m okay with flashing.” 

“Awesome!” 

“…Gwen?” 

She stiffened, feeling a cold shiver go down her spine before turning to the voice. 

Blake. 

He looked, well, the same, and she probably wouldn’t have thought anything different if Bobby hadn’t told her. He still had the same bleach blond hair, football build between not being too ripped and not too skinny, and those bright blue eyes. And on his arm was Lacey Anderson. 

Ugh, she hated that bi--…no, do not say that. It was degrading to women! 

…Oh f—k, what the hell ever, she was a _bitch_. 

She was the type of girl that would be their friend in one instant and the next, she’d be spreading malicious rumors about her and siding with other people against her. She always liked to covet what Gwen had and apparently Blake fell into that category. But Gwen never got the idea that she was jealous or anything but that she wanted to make Gwen jealous. If Gwen got the old version of something, Lacey would have her dad drop a few million to get the new unreleased version just to be envied. Or even better, if Gwen ran for Vice President, she _had_ to get President. 

But that was then. She smiled faintly, “Hi, Blake.” 

Lacey squeezed his arm a little tighter, a show of either possessiveness or showing that she’d ‘taken’ Blake from her. Like she cared. 

“Gwen, I _really_ didn’t expect you to be here” she said in a cynical yet mock-happy tone. 

Gwen just gave her a tight smile and the beach blonde Barbie continued, “You know, Marissa is here.” 

…Damn it. 

“…Oh” she smiled again, “That’s, uh, nice.” 

Shelly frowned, “Hmm. Be right back, guys.” 

They nodded as she wandered away only to open up a hole for Lacey and Blake. Gwen felt nauseous. Ugh, Lacey, Blake, _and_ Marissa? This night was going fine before. 

She blinked, frowning, as Kyo leaned down close to her ear. “I could so take him.” 

Her lip curled and she smacked his chest with the back of her hand, “Idiot.” 

Lacey’s victorious smile suddenly melted. She must have been looking forward to this night for, well, years. Probably begged her father to get Gwen’s father to drag her here so that she could rub it in her face that now she had Blake. She probably expected Gwen to be all alone and single and wishing she’d never let go of him, wishing she hadn’t broken the one taboo of their relationship. Course, she ‘had’ Kyo now. 

“And…who is this?” asked Lacey, quickly replacing her fake joyous look. 

“Hmm? Oh, this is Kyo, my husband” Gwen said simply. This lie was actually getting kind of entertaining. 

Blake’s eyes flashed dark and sent another cold tremble down Gwen’s spine. She remembered that look. 

“...Your 'husband'?” he asked deeply, “When’d you get married?” 

“About a year ago” she said quietly. She hissed at herself in her head. That was that submissive tone she used to take when she thought she was in trouble with him. No, she was not submissive to any man! 

He stared at her rather piercingly though. Hell though, he'd always been enough to intimidate anyone, male or female. She swallowed and hid her shaking hands behind her back. Get a grip, Gwen. 

She jumped a little though when Kyo suddenly reached around her and rested his hand on her hip, “I hate to interrupt but I need a moment with my wife. Excuse us.” 

Gwen frowned as Kyo slowly guided her away towards an empty spot that was fairly quiet before his eyes narrowed, “ _What_ is wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?Was he abusive? That's the only reason I can see you responding to him any other way.” 

She opened her mouth to tell him that was none of his business but faltered at the serious look he was giving her. She clenched her teeth. “FINE, you caught me. He-he was.” 

“What the hell, Gwen?” he demanded. 

“I didn’t _think_ it was that bad. It was just a slap or something here and there. It was more verbal abuse than anything” she said quietly, “And he did enough other stuff to make up for it.” 

Kyo laughed humorlessly, “Oh, okay. 'I’ll take you to the Fisherman’s Wharf after I smack you up a bit'. The f—k! I could kill that bitch.” 

“For what?” she spat, “He wasn’t abusing you.” 

Her heart skipped a beat when he gave her a look. It was unreadable but it was solemn, quiet, piercing, and kind of heady. Honestly, she could barely think and couldn’t even imagine what he was going to say with that expression. 

“I hate that he still has the power to put that look on your face, like you’re powerless when I know for a fact that the Gwen I’ve come to know isn’t like that at all.” 

She stiffened and he sighed, grasping her wrist, “But whatever, c’mon. And don’t look like that. This bastard isn’t going to do anything to you. If you don’t stop it, I know the f—k I will.” 

Gwen bit her lip as they wandered back, the light occasionally hitting him and shining around his figure. She’d cursed herself because for a brief moment she let her hand slide to his, her fingertips grazing his palm. For the shortest second, she wanted to hold his hand. 

He looked back at her for a moment, his lips slightly parted before turning away… 

…It was all fake. 

Returning to the spot, Blake’s arms were crossed as he sized them both up. Gwen just glowered at him. Well, whatever, Kyo was, ugh, right. This wouldn’t do. She was a new woman and wouldn’t be scared by this part of her past. 

“So married?” Lacey said, her tone marked with disappointment. 

“Yep.” 

Blake’s jaw was actually ticking. What was his issue anyway? They’d been separated for four years already; it wasn’t that big a deal. 

But. “I need to talk to you” he said suddenly. 

Lacey looked at him, now probably disinterested, and tilted her head, “For what?” 

“Not _you_. Gwen” he grunted. 

“Then let’s talk” Gwen said coolly. 

“ _Privately._ ” 

Kyo wasn’t buying, “I mean, whatever you have to say to her I’m sure we can all hear.” 

“Yea” glared Rachel. 

He glared at them and Gwen just felt irritated. This sucked. She’d just gotten her hopes up that tonight might actually be cool. But whatever. Maybe it could be salvaged if she just set this guy straight. “Fine.” 

Kyo shot her a look and she gave him an even one back, mouthing ‘I can handle this’. 

He stared at her before cutting his eyes at Blake and giving a short stiff nod. Blake walked towards the back of the gym where the track was and she followed. 

Lacey, left standing there, suddenly smiled darkly. “Huh, maybe there is still some saving this.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Where the f—k have you been?” 

Gwen glared at her ex-boyfriend as he stared at her angrily, “Don’t talk to me like that, Blake.” 

“Then answer my f—king question. Where have you been? I’ve been waiting four years for you to get your act together and you come back married to some other damn bastard!” 

She laughed incredulously, “Waiting for _me_ to get _my_ act together? I don’t know, Blake, somehow I think our future was shot after I found you screwing my little sister in _my_ room so I’m not sure what the hell you were _waiting_ for.” 

He looked exasperated, “You didn’t even let me explain.” 

“What was there to explain? Oh, my sister must have just _fallen_ onto her hands and knees and you just _fell_ on top of her with your dick out, right?” 

Blake’s angry look returned, “I don’t have to explain myself to you. The _one_ guy I set off limits from you, the _one_ person I never wanted you to sleep with and you _still_ couldn’t keep your legs closed.” 

Gwen recoiled before glowering at him, “You’re right, what I did was wrong. But I didn’t sleep with your damn brother now, did I?” 

“You might as well have! I don’t event talk to Hugh anymore and he was my best friend!” 

“Look, Blake, I’m sorry, okay? I really am but that is all in the past. You have Lacey now and I have Kyo so-so just let’s forget about all this. It’s stupid” she hissed, turning. 

She gasped as he grabbed her wrist, pulling her against him, and grabbed the other. Her heart raced when he pressed his lips against hers, _forcing_ his tongue into her mouth. Growling, she fought away. 

What disturbed her the most in that moment was she actually compared the way Kyo kissed her to him? What was happening here? 

He stared her in the eye, looking sad, “Come back to me, Gwen. You’re right, let’s forget about it. It doesn’t matter. I still love you.” 

“Don’t make me laugh!” she struggled, “You’re just _jealous_. You can’t stand to see me with someone else and that’s all it is!” 

Like a bright sky suddenly overtaken by storm clouds, his eyes darkened, “I won’t _let_ you walk away again, Gwen. You’d better make your decision wisely.” 

She laughed bitterly, “You don’t even understand. I’d rather be with _hundreds_ of Kyo’s than be with you again!” 

Gwen’s heart jumped to her throat as he suddenly tightened his grasp on her wrists tenfold and threw her face forward against the chain-link fence separating the school and field. He growled into her ear, pressing against her from behind. 

“A hundred of him, huh? What makes him so good, huh? Does he f--k you better than I did?” 

She tried to struggle away and kick him but at this angle... 

“Or wait, do you screw his best friends? His brothers? That’s all you were ever good for anyway: a good hard f—k.” 

She clenched her eyes shut. She hated them. She hated them so much. Why’d she come here? Why? Why… 

…Why had she ever loved him? 

Gwen squeaked as his hands were suddenly torn from her arms, Blake actually gasping as he was thrown into the fence beside her. She gaped as Kyo punched him square in the jaw. 

“You son of a bitch!” 

She quickly caught Kyo’s shirt, “K-Kyo, no!” 

“I told you if _you_ didn’t do anything, _I_ would” he hissed, trying to start at Blake as he regained himself. 

“You can keep that whore” spat Blake, glaring at him, “That’s all she is.” 

Kyo tried to lunge but she wouldn’t let him. It wasn’t his battle to fight. But… 

“Whatever may have happened in the past, at least she’s changed, unlike _you_. I’d hate to think what she’d be if she was still with an asshole like you! I-I used to think the way she is was just-just crazy but if she had to put up with this s—t from you then I can’t blame her for hating men!” 

Gwen froze, stunned. What? 

Kyo complained endlessly about her ‘radical feminist’ thoughts. Her parents hated them too. But was he actually…standing up for her changes? She knew if he’d met her back then, he’d have loved it but…? 

“Whatever” snarled Blake, “Once a whore, always a whore.” 

“You ba--…Gwen?” 

Damn it. She winced as she wiped at her eyes, hating that she’d been reduced to tears of kind of content and it was because of stupid _Kyo._ He looked almost appalled before giving a dark malicious glare to Blake. 

“You-you’ve actually made her cry! I’ll kill you!” 

“No, no, _baka_ ” she whimpered, grasping his shirt, “Fo-forget it, let’s go back inside. I…I don’t need this.” 

Kyo stared down at her before glaring up at Blake then flipping him off, “Stay away from my _wife,_ bitch. If she doesn’t rip your balls off, _I_ will.” 

He grasped her wrist again and pulled her towards the gymnasium. 

…It made her feel both sick and happy. 

Happy because, well, she’d been downright ridiculed for her thoughts even when she had explained her circumstances but Kyo understood on some level, despite him being _him_. 

Sick…because it was him that made her happy. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“That bitch has some balls! “ snarled Roy. 

Michelle and the whole group agreed as they sent death glares back in Lacey and Blake’s direction. He was just shoving her away as she attempted to assess the damage of his face. It was probably all he was good for. 

Too distracted to just kill Roy for that statement, Gwen sighed. Kyo cocked a brow, crossing his arms, “Did you guys…know he was that way towards Gwen?” 

“Hell no! They were the _dream_ couple!” snarled Rachel, “We would have killed him if we knew he was hurting Gwen!” 

Trey sent Kyo a look, “It’s nothing I wouldn’t have done but Blake’s family will hunt you down like a freakin’ animal for hitting their shining star.” 

“He can try what he wants. I’m not that worried.” 

No kidding. If something happened to _Kyo_ , Blake may as well kiss his life good-bye if the Yagami family got involved. They were huge in numbers and also had a lot of power. 

Stressed, she just wanted to go home to Japan. Not California. There was too much bad blood here. 

…But. 

“Uh, Shelly?” 

Gwen frowned and looked up before her body just froze. Oh no. 

Marissa. 

Gwen gaped, at a loss as her best friend wandered up beside Shelly. She seemed a little different, her hair at one time having been bleached blonde though it appeared she went back to her natural brunette, her hair also back in it’s natural curls. 

Gwen would kill Shelly. 

The woman smiled shyly though and waved, “Uh, hi, guys.” 

“Hey Mari-bell, what’s up?” questioned Trey, hugging her side. 

“Nothing much…” 

Shelly propped her hands on her hips and pointed between Gwen and Marissa, “You two, talk.” 

  
Gwen opened her mouth to protest but Shelly grabbed Kyo’s arm, “You, come with me.” 

Gwen sulked at that crazy extroverted…person and Marissa rubbed her arm, “Uh, o-only if you want to, Gwen.” 

She looked at the person she’d wronged, startled, “You-you _want_ to talk to me?” 

Marissa bit her lip and nodded. Gwen, at a loss, nodded as well and excused herself from the group, once again heading back outside the gym. 

She leaned back against the fence and frowned, “So, uh, Shell filled me in on all the things going on with you so I guess we can go straight to discussing.” 

Gwen groaned. Crazy. “…I-I get sick with myself just remembering what I did, Marissa, and I-I’ll never forgive myself for it. It’s-it’s awful and I’m an awful person.” 

Marissa shook her head, “I…I was _so_ mad at you, Gwen. Of-of _all_ the people, why Ryan?” 

Gwen bowed her head but Marissa continued, “Then I kind of realized: screw him.” 

Frowning, she glanced up at the woman as she kicked her heeled toe, “I mean, Ryan never regretted doing anything to me. When he said he’d quit cheating, he didn’t, and when I caught him, he acted like it was nothing. You at least showed regret though.” 

“I shouldn’t have done it at all” whimpered Gwen. 

“Is…it arrogant if I say I forgive you?” Marissa laughed airily, “I mean, I don’t know if you even care.” 

Gwen gasped, “Of-of course I do! I’ve…I’ve…missed you.” 

Marissa sniffed, walking over to her and hugging her neck, “Whatever! I’ve missed you _more_ with you running off to freakin’ Japan! And what is this I hear about you being _married_? You weren’t allowed to get married without me!” 

Gwen laughed, hugging her back, relieved. “It’s _such_ a long story…” 

Marissa pulled away and scowled, “And you set Blake straight, right? I saw you walk out with him.” 

“I did…” she sighed some. 

“Good girl. Now, tell me about this marriage.” 

…She’d honestly forgotten when things made her so happy. She couldn’t remember when things seemed to go so...right. 

Maybe it had been a worthwhile lesson in the end. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, if you don’t recall, I mentioned I went to California this year (ala 2009) on vacation. Like Kyo in this chapter, I was just AMAZED. (I live ALLLL the way across the US)
> 
> I could be wrong about this but Amoeba whatever is in Guitar Hero and I’m not sure if it’s central to just California but I’ve never seen one in my locale.
> 
> Laugh Factory is a famous kind of comedy club.
> 
> Dirt Bong Water is NOT actually…it’s name, it’s a drink which my recently turned 21 friend says ‘tastes like Jolly Ranchers’ o.O
> 
> Ah yes, on Hollywood Boulevard, there’s a lot of street actors. One of them is this REALLY, REALLY old guy that’s actually like, alive, and it was SO scary. And I was excited to see the gold guy on Jimmy Kimmel recently because I saw him!! Ah! Ah, moment. And there was an awesome mall and it had some fountains…
> 
> Anyway, Sia and Marion are reffed from the upcoming Rune Factory 3…I really need to jump on that and play…any of them.
> 
> Oh, and Hugh? Heh.


	7. Lesson Seven

_Gwen Douglas returned to the reunion moved to tears, Marissa Greenwood, her best friend whom she’d done the unthinkable to, at her side. She would have run off, really. She would have hidden at some restaurant or something until the reunion was over. She would have never reconciled with her best friend, figured out that Blake was still living in la-la world and that overall, she had some good female and, grudgingly, male friends back here._

_And what was the reason she’d come in instead of running away?_

_Gwen cocked a brow as Shelly and Kyo wandered back from wherever they’d been and Shelly gave her a sly almost coquettish grin._

“ _Lucky bitch.”_

… 

… _Okay, he was a whore but she probably wouldn’t have made such progress without him. She’d bite her hand off before telling him that but…_

“… _Uh, yea” she flustered, glaring at Kyo as he just grinned lazily, “Anyway guys, want to blow this and go to get some ice-cream or something? Y’know, for old time’s sake.”_

“ _Sounds good to me. I’m about two steps away from punching President Lacey in the face” snorted Michelle, glowering back at the girl who was glaring at them._

_Roy grinned, “I dunno, watching you beat her up might just make the rest of my life.”_

_Michelle snickered and elbowed him, wrapping her arm around his waist, “Whatever! Let’s just go.”_

_Gwen was a little surprised when, well, everyone paired off with someone from high school. Usually when people went to college, didn’t they kind of ditch that whole thing? Start anew?_

_But…Kyo yawned and stretched, resting her hands behind his head, “Well, this was actually pretty interesting.”_

“ _It was boring for you and you know it” she snorted._

“ _Uh yea, because I usually get to punch some guy in the face and flash someone in one night whilst being sober” he snorted back._

_Gwen leered at him, “I like how you had to throw that ‘sober’ part in.”_

_He laughed, “Ah, well.”_

_Everyone else had an arm around the waist or were holding hands but she held the hem of his shirt. He didn’t seem to mind._

… _He didn’t mean anything to her._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

…Why was she being ridiculous and stupidly effeminate again? 

Gwen sighed as she strode around her house, thankful to be back in Japan. Before she left California, she had been going through some of her stuff for ‘old time’s sake’ and to reveal to herself just how ridiculous she used to be. And she found them: her favorite pair of leisure shorts. Problem was, they were equivalent to something she'd see some misguided woman in a music video dancing and shaking to shamelessly. 

Well, maybe it wasn’t _that_ bad, really. They could be a lot more revealing like boy shorts or something but it may have just been her long legs that were giving that effect… 

She pouted. Okay, so maybe it was showing off a lot more than she _liked_ to show off but they were so cozy. She used to love sleeping in them. 

Kyo wouldn’t be back until later either so she could get away with it. Why not anyway? 

…Ugh, Kyo. 

When they got back, all the ‘cuddling’ and ‘kissing’ and randomness that occurred in California just kind of diminished and they went back to their normal arguing selves. Eh, maybe arguing was too negative. Maybe more like they went back to just being…roomies. 

Except the other day he came back from his parent’s house with some music cards and gave them to her, saying they were some old indie music he’d collected from back in the day. It was all the good stuff she’d loved. 

…She really hated having to thank him. 

Leaning over the player, she slid the card into the slot and was content to blare the Artic Monkeys. Well, whatever. 

Dancing around, swaying, she hummed. She missed living alone in her townhouse back on the mainland sometimes. She could get away with some things she couldn’t with Kyo around. Namely dancing. 

“…Uh?” 

She jumped a mile and glared at her ‘husband’ as he stood at the door, his eyes wide and confused. See? 

Kyo cocked a brow and crossed his arms, “Uh…hi.” 

Feeling exposed, she started to run upstairs but he held up a hand, “Don’t freak. I’m not interested.” 

She paused and glared at him as he walked into the kitchen, following him. “Oh really?” 

Kyo smiled playfully, “Your legs are kind of hot though. Women don’t usually get that tall around here.” 

She sulked and started to march upstairs to put on pants but he laughed and tugged her back, “Okay, I’m not a legman.” 

“Grr.” 

He poured himself a shot of rum and offered her one. She glared, “Why?” 

“Because I saw how you drank with your cronies, party girl” he stuck out his tongue. 

Gwen grunted and took the glass from him, “Whatever, you.” 

Taking the shot, she grimaced, “I don’t _like_ rum…” 

His brows furrowed, “Okay…” 

He gave her a bottle of Schnapps and she nodded shortly, going into the living room. Kyo sat down on the couch with his rum and chuckled as he listened to the music. 

“This used to drive my brother crazy. He was so into the growly stuff.” 

“Sara too, except she was more into the pop princesses of the time” she rolled her eyes. 

He sucked down a few more shots before he got that tipsy look. “Wanna dance with me?” 

Gwen snorted, “No?” 

“Fine, I’ll dance by myself!” 

Gwen stared at him as he started to leap around and just about spaz. It may have been the schnapps but she laughed, “What the hell?” 

“See? That’s why men need women to dance with, duh” he stuck out his tongue. 

She snorted and stood, “Malarkey.” 

Gwen squealed as he grabbed her hands and started tossing her around and swinging her. It seemed almost violent but she couldn’t stop…giggling. 

__Stop making the eyes at me, I'll stop making the eyes at you  
And what it is that surprises me is that I don't really want you to   
And your shoulders are frozen (cold as the night)   
Oh, but you're an explosion (you're dynamite)   
Your name isn't Rio, but I don't care for sand   
And lighting the fuse might result in a bang, b-b-bang, go! 

“Dude, come up to _this_ century, swing dancing is so twentieth century!” 

_I bet that you look good on the dance_ __floor  
I don't know if you're looking for romance or   
I don't know what you're looking for   
I said, I bet that you look good on the dance floor   
Dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984   
From 1984! 

He grinned and set her down, “We can crump.” 

She snickered, “Uh huh…” 

__I wish you'd stop ignoring me, because it's sending me to despair  
Without a sound, yeah, you're calling me, and I don't think it's very fair   
That your shoulders are frozen (cold as the night)   
Oh, but you're an explosion (you're dynamite)   
Your name isn't Rio, but I don't care for sand   
And _lighting the fuse might result in a bang, b-b-bang, go!_

_I bet that you look good on the dance_ __floor  
I don't know if you're looking for romance or   
I don't know what you're looking for   
I said, I bet that you look good on the dance floor   
Dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984   
From 1984! 

He started sashaying around her and she smirked, “…Y’know, maybe you weren’t kidding about that almost sexist remark about needing women to dance with.” 

“I mean, duh.” 

__Oh, there ain't no love, no Montagues or Capulets  
Are just banging tunes and DJ sets and...   
Dirty dance floors, and dreams of naughtiness! 

Her eyes widened when he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his thigh, purring, “You’re not being very cooperative.” 

She gave him a look before snickering, “Am I ever?” 

He laughed, “Touche.” 

_I bet that you look good on the dance_ __floor  
I don't know if you're looking for romance or   
I don't know what you're looking for   
I said, I bet that you look good on the dance floor   
Dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984   
From 1984! 

_I_ __said I bet that you look good on the dance floor  
I don't know if you're looking for romance or   
I don't know what you're looking for   
I said, I bet that you look good on the dance floor   
Dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984   
From 1984! 

He chuckled, releasing her, as the song went off and she went over to the stereo, “Did you ever listen to Rise Against?” 

“I liked them” he agreed, taking another swig of rum. 

__It kills me not to know this but I've all but just forgotten  
what the color of her eyes were and her scars or how she got them.   
As the telling signs of age rain down a single tear is dropping   
through the valleys of an aging face that this world has forgotten. 

Kyo bounced his shoulders, sang, _“There is no reconciliation that will put me in my place and there is no time like the present to drink these draining seconds. But seldom do these words ring true when I'm constantly failing you. Walls that we just can't break through until we disappear! So tell me now if this ain't love then how do we get out? ’Cause I don't know!”_

  
Gwen, just as drunk, sang, _“That's when she said I don't hate you, boy, I just want to save you while there's still something left to save!”_   
  


Kyo started to dance, swaying with her, _“That's when I told her I love you girl but I'm not the answer for the questions that you still have!”_   
_  
”And the day pressed on like crushing weights for no man does it ever wait. Like memories of dying days that deafen us like hurricanes. Bathed in flames we held the brand uncurled the fingers in your hand pressed into the flesh like sand. Now do you understand? So tell me now if this ain't love then how do we get out? ’Cause I don't know!” _

Gwen felt like she was swinging in circles… _“That's when she said I don't hate you, boy, I just want to save you while there's still something left to save!”_   
  


“ _That's when I told her I love you girl but I'm not the answer for the questions that you still have!”_ __  
__  
”One thousand miles away there's nothing left to say but so much left that I don't know.   
We never had a choice, this world is too much noise. It takes me under! It takes me under once again…”   
  
Rocking her head, Gwen hummed, _“I don't hate you… I don't hate you, no…”_

  
_“So tell me now if this ain't love then how do we get out…? ‘Cause I don't know…”_ Kyo almost sighed. 

__  
“That's when she said I don't hate you, boy, I just want to save you while there's still something left to save!”   
  


“ _That's when I told her I love you girl but I'm not the answer for the questions that you still have!”_ __  
_  
”I don't hate you! I don’t hate you! I don’t hate you! I don't hate you, no!” _ they both sang. 

They laughed and collapsed on the couch. 

…If this was a month ago, she’d never have been comfortable enough to get drunk around Kyo and would have alleged when he offered that he was trying to get her drunk for some sordid reason. She would have ran upstairs and changed into a pair of baggy pants in an instant. She wouldn’t have let him hold her to dance, definitely. But he’d been a 'gentleman' and not made it sexual. 

In another world, Kyo would have probably made the perfect husband or boyfriend. 

…In this one, they only got along swimmingly when they were drunk. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

_Gwen sat in class, awaiting the arrival of Tomei-sensei. She usually was never late. Her classmates were reading the same book._

… _Had she missed something?_

_She cleared her throat and leaned over, cocking a brow at Chitose, “Um, is that an assignment?”_

_She looked up at her and cocked a brow, “Yea! It must have been while you were away. Tomeo-sensei assigned this HORRID book that some woman wrote and we all have to read it for a discussion. I mean, it’s worth seventy percent of our grade and the paper is due this Friday.”_

_Gwen gaped, “W-what?!”_

_Was that possible?! That was more than HALF the class! That couldn’t be legal! Though she heard in America from Marissa and Shelly about a class where the whole grade was determined by a single term paper. Oh God!_

_She quickly looked at the title of the book, biting her lip. Okay, she’d just have to read it overnight and pull an all-nighter for the paper._

_No worries._

…Or so she told herself. 

“…You…really don’t have this book in stock?” she said, horrified. 

She called one store and was ticked that they were supposedly out of stok, leaving them a mouthful. Then the second store told the same tale. Then the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth. Now, she was working on the seventh and she was scared stiff. 

…This book wasn’t in Japan. 

Tomeo-sensei thought the book was a crime against humanity, it seems. Everyone else in the universe loved it. They bought it in masses, passed them out at parties, passed them out as gifts, and just collected them. 

…She could get hundreds on everything else but if she failed this, nope. 

For whatever reason, the digital stores couldn’t manage to keep the sites from crashing with how mass quickly it was being downloaded and the closest she got was downloads timing out on every browser. All the online stores didn’t have them in stock either, not that she’d get it in time that way. 

She did the unthinkable after she got off the phone with the seventh store: She called her dad. He was her last resort. However… 

“Well sweetie…” he frowned, “That book is actually extremely popular here. And don’t get me wrong, _I_ could get it, however, it’d take at least two days to get to you.” 

She grimaced. That’s right, California wasn’t next door. Ugh! 

She felt her stomach turn. She…she was going to fail. No!! 

Calling a few more stores, she crumbled on her side when she was met with defeat and sobbed. This wasn’t right! No! 

The door to the house opened and Kyo entered, “Yo.” 

Gwen glared at him miserably and he cocked a brow, “Something wrong…?” 

“No!” she snapped, standing and stalking to the kitchen. 

When she got there though, she found herself fighting off tears and sniveled, crying into the counter. No… 

Kyo followed her and scowled, “ _What_? Don’t say nothing’s wrong and come in here to cry.” 

She sat up, glum and miserable, and mumbled, “I…I’m going to fail my class.” 

He leaned back against the counter next to the stove and tilted his head, “What do you mean?” 

“I need a book for class and it’s going to be worth a majority of my grade and I just found out about it and it's sold completely slam out in Japan!” 

Kyo frowned, shaking his head, “Can’t you tell her you were out of the country and that you didn’t know about the book?” 

“Tomeo-sensei doesn’t except excuses” she glowered. 

“I think that’s a good viable reason” he grunted before looking at the slip of paper with the name of the book on it, nodding, “I’ll get it for you, okay? When do you need it?” 

Wanting to tell him she didn’t need him and he couldn’t do anything that she couldn’t, she didn’t see the issue in telling him since it would be just as impossible, “Today.” 

“…How about tomorrow?” he scowled. 

“Whatever” she mumbled. He wouldn’t be able to get it then either. 

She’d learned that she had to depend on herself for things. Just sucked she’d let herself down… 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“I’m surprised by you, Gwen.” 

The blonde woman grimaced as Tomeo-sensei looked at her incredulously, “You’re such a diligent student. How did you let this slip past you?” 

The woman just shook her black hair, glaring, “This book will show you just how complacent women have become. It’ll be the most vital part of our class from now on, debasing it. If you don’t read it and analyze it--” 

“I-I will, ma’am! I-I just need some time to get my hands on a copy!” Gwen blurted, desperate, “P-please, I just need another day!” 

“Don’t beg, Gwen, it lowers you” the woman said in a cool tone, “I can’t start making favors to you without doing so for other students. Either you turn in the paper Friday or not. I can’t help you.” 

It was probably the first time she wanted to tell her teacher off, that she was being a hypocrite. She said that they couldn’t depend on men, that they had to depend on one another. Gwen had asked the people in the class that were done if she could borrow or buy the book from them. But they sited that they’d either ‘already handed it out’ or ‘if she hadn’t read it, she shouldn’t’. 

Gwen sat at home, curled up. She wasn’t dumb; she knew she was dependent on her parents. They put her through school, gave her money for expenses and Kyo apparently had started taking over the house payments. That had alarmed her greatly but he said it wasn’t a big deal, he just didn’t like having free room and board because he felt like a mooch. 

…She didn’t pay for anything but she wanted to depend on herself in everything else until she could get a job. This not being able to get a damn _book_ and to be abandoned by her classmates and even her teacher when she needed them most? When she wanted to depend on them they failed. 

…She was alone. 

It wasn’t a big deal, she just would have to repeat the class or something. It just…hurt. 

Sniffing, she buried her face in her knees. 

“Hey.” 

She didn’t bother lifting her head as Kyo walked in. She didn’t want to talk to him or anyone right now. 

But. “Is this it?” 

Gwen looked up to glare at him and tell him to leave her alone. Instead, she had a near heart attack. 

…The book! 

He turned it over in his hands as if it’s existence was somewhat whimsical, “Carrie actually went on a show with the woman who wrote this and she gave her two copies so she gave me one of them. She says it’s a good read.” 

Gwen was in disbelief. Standing, uncurling herself, she slowly walked over to him and he waved it at her, pursing his lips, “Tell your teacher that there’s something called a damn syllabus. She can’t alter it halfway through the damn semester to make something more than _half_ of your total grade.” 

She bit her lip and nodded rapidly, actually hugging his neck, “Thank you, thank you!” 

“Uh, no problem.” 

Releasing him, hugging the book, she scurried off to the couch and instantly started to read it. 

Delighted, she prepared herself to be offended or whatever was the case with this book was. The writer was a former feminist and spoke of being distrustful of men because her step-father sexually abused her. But then she met her husband, one of the sweetest human beings she knew, and she felt that perhaps she’d been taking the wrong stance on things, constantly questioning the motive of others. She changed and told others that trust was a difficult thing to attain but there was nothing worse than living in constant suspicion, that depending on oneself was important but that sometimes others cared about them without seeking rewards. Being dependent was a lot different than knowing you needed help sometimes. 

…When she finished, somehow, she didn’t feel all that angry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs are:
> 
> Artic Monkeys "I Bet You Look Good On the Dance Floor" and Rise Against "Savior". I own neither.


	8. Lesson Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't read **This Love** and/or **Jewel in the Rough** , there will be a spoiler present.

_Two years down, one to go._

_Gwen Douglas sat by the fire and sighed, writing down theories as she drank tea. So close. So close to finishing, so close to striking out on her own. It was a little intimidating but none of this, the way she was living or her 'husband', was real. None of it had become anymore real over the last year._

… _Well…_

_Kyo was okay. It took two years to just kind of grasp that. Sure, he was a horndog man and sometimes annoyed the hell out of her but it could have been so much suckier._

_On her birthday this year, he actually made her a cake. Her parents got cakes shipped in from France or Italy made of marzipan or covered in candied flowers. They just looked too fancy but Kyo’s cake was all lopsided and white and patched. He just threw some star sprinkles on top. She’d stared at it, not used to such simplicity._

“… _Uh, thank you.”_

_He sulked, “I know it’s not all gorgeous and specially made but I tried. I’m not a baker, cakes elude me.”_

_She smirked and cut a slice, handing him a piece, “I said 'thank you', dork.”_

_Kyo sighed and nodded, accepting the cake, and she started to take a forkful before noticing he was eying her curiously before looking away as not to get caught._

“ _So why did you make this?”_

_He shrugged, “I thought it’d be nice.”_

_That never made sense to her. Just being nice? Without receiving anything in return? That was just crazy for a guy._

_But then, Kyo was a crazy kind of guy._

_Gwen sighed and jumped when the phone rang. Frowning, dropping her notebook, she walked over to the device and stared at the ID. Italy?_

… _Oh, his brother._

_She started to let the answering machine pick up but thought, eh, maybe Kyo would come in soon. Picking up, having never actually spoken to this mysterious “Jyun”, she echoed._

“ _Hello?”_

_There was a moment of silence before a rather smooth almost baritone voice responded, “…Um, hi. Is Kyo there?”_

_Gwen rolled her eyes. Kyo probably had never told him about her. “No, he’s out right now but he should be walking in any second if you want to wait.”_

“ _No, no, I’ll call back in a week or two” he replied, “Thanks.”_

_She frowned as he clicked off without much more. He sounded almost spooked. Shrugging, she set the phone back on the cradle and resettled back on the couch, turning on the television._

“ _It’s a record minus twenty degrees out there, folks. If you don’t have a reason, don’t go out there!” chanted the weather man on the television like that was just the most wonderful thing ever._

_Gwen grimaced, “Wow…” Though it was a common misconception that California was always warm, she wasn’t sure it ever reached -20 degrees._

_And, of course, Kyo entered within minutes of the phone call._

_He shivered, rushing into the house, shutting the door as the blizzard chased him in, cursing, “Damn!”_

_Reading her book, she looked up at him, happy the university closed down for the snow. Kyo, on the other hand, hadn’t been so lucky. Sending him a mock dreary dry look, she remarked, “Cold?”_

_Kyo glared at her, his nose red and his cheeks puffy, “No, it’s the f—king tropics out there.”_

_Gwen rolled her eyes and he wandered over to the fireplace, crashing down in front of the couch, stripping off his winter jacket and rubbing his hands together. Gwen watched him for a moment before relaying the news. “Your brother called and said he’d call you in a week or two since he missed you.”_

_He suddenly bristled, sending her an incredulous look, “Ugh! Are you kidding?”_

“ _That’s not exactly cheap calling” she told him simply._

_He rested his head against the couch, looking miserable, and stared at his knees, irritated._

_Kyo seemed to, almost in a backwards way, hero worship his older brother and he was extremely irked that he ran off for some reason. He looked sad._

_Tomei-sensei was convinced otherwise._

_Her teacher had recently start to teach that it was her strict conviction that men had no feelings, that they lacked a key part of the brain to properly express them. They tried to appear strong not because they were faking not having feelings but rather because they didn’t have them. When they did express the emotions it was because if they didn’t, they’d appear heartless._

… _Seemed a little weird but maybe? Kyo’s moods shifted a lot, it almost seemed like he had emotions but maybe not?_

_Whatever the case, she patted his head slowly before wandering away to the kitchen. He was better when he was pretending he was happy then. Pretending he was sad was just strange._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Gwen!” 

Gwen smiled as her friends appeared in line on webcams on her computer, “Hey, guys.” 

Shelly, her hair pinned back, was nibbling on a pretzel before looking around. “So where’s the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?” 

“Way racist, Shell” Gwen snorted. 

“How do you know I was talking about _all_ of him?” 

Gwen laughed, “You’re such a perv!” 

Michelle sighed, “She’s been obsessed with your husband’s junk since that day, Gwen. You should have just told her he was lacking.” 

Gwen sighed in agreement before cocking a brow, “So what are you guys up to?” 

“Work tomorrow” sighed Rachel. 

They all sighed in agreement and Gwen frowned. She often felt lame as she was the only one that had _never_ had a job. She volunteered but actual job experience, no. 

She told Kyo this once and he tilted his head thoughtfully, “I think you should focus on school. If you ever have some free time from that then I can definitely help you find a preferable one. I’ve definitely been around.” 

No kidding, the guy had a new job every week. She often wondered if Kyo had ever had an actual job goal in mind. 

“You guys going to vacation here soon? We can go to Maui!” Michelle questioned. 

“Dunno, I’d have to ask Kyo but sounds fun.” 

She frowned at the knock on the door and echoed, “Come in.” 

Kyo peeked in and blinked, “You want some pizza, Gwen?” 

“Mm, yea, spinach and chicken would be good.” 

Kyo nodded and the girls all ‘bleh’d’ as Gwen smirked. “You’re too nice to her, Kyo, tell her ‘hell no’ to spinach on pizza!” Shelly bellowed. 

Kyo laughed, “Well, there’s chicken too so it should be fine.” 

“He’s ravenous, he doesn’t care what he eats” snorted Gwen. 

“What an awful wife. I’d make you happier, Kyo.” 

He winked and Gwen shooed him. Her friends had only met him twice, the second time being when they went back to California just for a visit, and they loved him. Marissa, her only friend in on the whole sham, said he was so adorable. She’d love to have him as a real husband. 

…Maybe they saw something she didn’t. She liked Kyo but maybe more as a friend, not husband. 

…She often told herself then that she couldn’t wait until they could part. Over time she had come to see herself as putting his life on hold as well. But soon. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“A man can kill his pregnant wife and not blink an eye and even run off with a new woman!” 

True enough, Gwen frowned as she sat in the lecture, biting her fingernail. 

Her devil’s advocate that sounded a lot like Kyo countered, “So? There's cases of women killing their children and telling the whole world, including their spouses, she didn’t and make everyone around them stop to find the ‘killer’.” 

Again, true. 

“Men can’t tolerate when women cry because they see it as _weakness_ ” she lectured heatedly as if she were giving a sermon. 

Men do get weird when women started to cry, she pointed out. 

The voice replied dryly, ‘Ever fallen off your bike or something and your dad or mom said ‘don’t cry, everything will be okay?’. That’s not _always_ annoyance, that’s also called 'comfort’.' 

Ugh, this class used to get her so much more hyped before that stupid voice came in providing viable counter-arguments! 

After spouting out more ‘facts’ about why men didn’t have feelings or, from the sounds of it, a soul, Tomei-sensei dismissed them. Gwen sighed and started to put away her notebook, pretty confused, when Tomei-sensei cleared her throat. “A moment, Gwen.” 

She looked up, startled, but nodded and walked over to her as the others exited. The older woman looked cross and leaned back against her desk, “Have you been understanding my lessons lately?” 

Puzzled, Gwen nodded, “Yes, I have. why?” 

“I’ve noted over the last few semesters, you haven’t been as vivacious and in tune as you used to be. Has something changed in your circumstances?” 

Gwen swallowed. Okay, one, if Tomei-sensei found out about Kyo, she may well have kicked her out of the program. She’d find a reason because being married just wasn’t a good reason but oh, she’d find _something_ and toss Gwen out without blinking. 

Two, well, maybe being ‘married’ to Kyo had softened her zeal a bit too much. 

“I, uh, apologize, Tomei-sensei! I just noted that I should listen more and not be so vocal. Your words are important and my opinion is my opinion. I should learn more from you.” 

The woman seemed overall pleased with this answer, “Well good then. I’m glad you haven’t lost your fervor. I was getting worried.” 

Gwen just nodded and the woman sat, tapping her fingers, “Another reason I called you aside is because I feel that if you found some fault with my argument, you wouldn’t hold any punches in countering it. So what do you think of my current subject?” 

Oh God. Gwen opened her mouth and swallowed again, “Um, I…I think it’s actually a very intriguing proposition.” 

The woman’s eyes darkened, “Intriguing 'proposition'? What’s wrong with my argument?” 

Ugh. “N-nothing! I just have more questions about it like-like why would men disown that part of themselves?” 

“Because it never existed in the first place” the woman answered dryly. 

But why would females have it and males wouldn’t? Smiling quickly, she nodded, “Of-of course, but…I wonder why?” 

“That’s more biology. We’re working on why it has made women’s lives so much more trivial to them.” 

“Of…of course.” 

Gwen felt like she was being interrogated and she hated that. But thankfully Tomei-sensei dismissed her and she started to scurry off but… 

“Gwen.” 

She paused and glanced behind her, Tomei-sensei not looking up from whatever she was writing, “Remember that a man has treacherous tendencies. He’ll do anything to covet power over a woman, even pretend he has feelings or emotions. They live to satisfy base needs. I almost pity them for such a simple existence but it’s important that we don’t fall for these tricks. Understand?” 

Silently digesting that, she nodded shortly, “Yes, Tomei-sensei.” 

She ran towards her car with those thoughts ringing in her head and the sad part was, it all came back to Kyo. 

Gwen knew better than anyone that men pretended to be one way to get whatever they could out of a woman. She _knew_ that. But damn Kyo and his confounding variables! 

He made her a damn birthday cake. He cooked her dinner, he washed the dishes, he actually bought her a Christmas present last year. To top it all, he didn’t want anything from her. She’d even set up fake proposals to test him and he dismissed them like they were nothing. Hell, she’d actually been a little offended a few times! 

But could it be that it was all an act? 

Crossing the bridge, biting her lip, she shook her head. Tomei-sensei didn’t just fabricate these things. She had to know or have some reason to _believe_ them. She had faith in what she said. 

…Maybe Kyo had been tricking her. 

Scowling, the thought angering her, she parked her car and stalked towards the house. He was already home. She’d ignore his existence from now on. How had she gotten so caught up in him? She was petting his hair at random now! How had this happened? 

Swinging the door open, glaring, she opened her mouth to blurt something like, ‘I don’t need you to make me food. I can take care of myself’ or ‘Don’t talk to me!’. 

But instead she faltered. 

He was weirdly curled up on the couch, his knees pressed to his chest, his face buried into them and his arms crossed over top of his head. He was rocking back and forth, whispering or mumbling or something. 

…What? 

Softly closing the door, she frowned deeply and cleared her throat, “Kyo?” 

He didn’t say anything at first and she wondered if he even realized she was there. After a moment, he said in a breathy tone, “Oh, hey…” 

He sounded funny, she noted, his usually jovial yet deep voice tinted with heaviness, scratchy, pained. Maybe he wasn’t feeling well. If he did feel, that is. 

“Are you okay?” she asked off-hand. 

“I’m fine.” 

Gwen paused and glanced at him. Men did hide their 'feelings', she just didn’t know why. Propping her hands on her hips, she grunted, “No, you’re not. What’s wrong with you?” 

“I’m _fine_ , Gwen.” 

She grunted in disbelief and walked over, tugging his arm, “Then get up!” 

“Gwen, leave me alone!” 

“Why?” she demanded. What was he hiding? 

She gave him a hard jerk sending his body teetering a little from his crumpled ball as he hissed loudly, “ _Gwen_ \--” 

She opened her mouth to question what his problem was but stiffened when she saw his face. 

His brown eyes were red, puffy, and his hair was an absolute mess, as if he’d been pulling it. His cheeks were flushed too but the color wasn’t what got her. In his eyes were tears that had resulted in tear-stained cheeks, the trails rolling down to come together at his chin. 

……What? 

He quickly turned so he had buried his face into the side of the couch, breathing heavily and sounding like he was choking before she realized he was sobbing. 

…Kyo? 

She gawked for words but remained wordless. What…what was wrong? Why was he crying? What was happening? Backing away, she swallowed and quickly went into the kitchen. 

What…what was wrong with him? 

Gwen stood in there for countless minutes, awaiting the return of the Kyo she knew. He’d come in with a grin on his face, say something stupid like ‘something got in his eye’ or he was just fooling around. She’d hit him and call him a pig and then everything would go back to normal. 

…It never happened. 

She glanced into the living room nervously and found he was in the same position, now actually heaving. She…hated being dependent. 

…But seeing this made her realize how much she hated being helpless too. 

Food, she told herself quickly. Kyo loved food, food would make him normal again. In a hurry, she snatched some seaweed from the cabinet and started the rice maker. Searching for some kind of fish to put in the middle of riceballs, she came up empty. Ugh! She stared weakly at the can of tuna in the cabinet. 

…She guessed she’d been moved by Kyo making her a cake so she thought she’d try to match him by making him dinner on his birthday. He said his favorite kind of sushi was spicy tuna. 

She had no idea that it was like, tuna fillets they used for sushi here traditionally. In California they did some crazy things with their sushi that wasn't necessarily things they'd do in Japan. So what did she do with the idea of he liked tuna sushi? 

…Yep, she took canned tuna and smeared that stuff in there, adding something to make it spicy. 

When Kyo came in from work, she’d actually felt rather proud. She’d wanted to gloat that she made sushi but the man had stared at the plate, utterly puzzled. Gwen had wanted to smack him. How dare he be so ungrateful? 

“… _Uh, no, no! Thank you, that’s-that’s so sweet” he quickly smiled._

_She glared at him, “No, what’s wrong?”_

“ _N-nothing! Itedakimasu!”_

_She snatched the plate away before he could pick up a piece, “WHAT?”_

_He swallowed before grinning nervously, “Just…forgive my ignorance, perhaps I’m just clueless but what…kind of meat is that?”_

_Gwen could have smacked herself but she was confused, “I thought you liked spicy tuna sushi.”_

“… _Oh! So-so that’s tuna…”_

_Her eyes narrowed as he cleared his throat, “I-I mean, did the fish…die of some horrible death? Why’s it so grayish?”_

“ _That’s what tuna looks like!”_

_Kyo just stared at it wordlessly. Gwen wanted to smack him. Damn it, she was just trying to be nice and this asshole…_

… _That’s when it hit her like a two ton pile of bricks._

_Gaping, her purple eyes wide, she questioned slowly, “W-wait, it’s like…tuna fish in a can, right? That-that goes in the middle of sushi…right?”_

_His brown eyes grew wide and he looked up at her and they stared at each other for a long moment before he shook his head, “…Not…usually.”_

… _She hadn’t had a blonde moment like that in years. ‘Is it chicken or is it fish?’ definitely came to mind._

_Mortified and absolutely EMBARASSED, she tried to throw it away but Kyo laughed cheerfully, “It might be good! Let me try!”_

“ _No!”_

“ _Hey, it’s MY birthday dinner” he pointed out, taking the platter from her and popping one in his mouth without worry._

_She flinched and Kyo, whom she was convinced would eat ANYTHING, looked surprised, “Wow, that is good.”_

…She wondered if he was humoring her. 

Smiling sadly, she realized that she may consider this whole thing a fake but memories like that would stay with her forever. 

Finding an egg, she made some egg rice and piled a bit in a bowl before anxiously walking into the living room. Biting her lip, she set the plate before Kyo and stood up straight quickly. 

“Uh, I-I made you something to eat, in case you’re hungry” she blurted. 

He didn’t say anything and she slowly looked away, “Uh, I mean, m-maybe you’re not. You-you don’t have to eat it, I just thought you might be.” 

“Thank you.” 

He sat up at last and it seemed that most of his tears had passed, his face now just kind of bright. Picking up the bowl and the chopsticks, he ate silently and she slowly sat beside him. 

Suddenly, startling her, he started to hack, choking. She gasped, standing quickly. He’d been crying. His throat was probably swollen. 

“I’ll go get you something to drink” she announced, starting to head off. 

But his hand slipped into hers, stopping her. She froze as his gravelly voice whispered, “My mama…my…mother…she’s been cheating on my father for six years.” 

She gaped, eyes widening, as he continued faintly, “We…we found out today. Tonight’s…Monday. I…we have the dinner night. We…we have it as a family…every night since I-I was a kid…” 

He buried his face into her back and sobbed, “But I don’t _have_ a family anymore.” 

Gwen’s heart and belief that anything Tomei-sensei said about men not having feelings shattered. 

Kyo started to tremble and actually burst into tears again, unabashed, unashamed. Because…because he was hurting. He _hurt._

She pulled away and sat down on the couch, close beside him, and bit her lip, hugging him tightly, pressing his face to her neck, “That’s not true. You have your dad and your sister and your brother. And-and you have _all_ the rest of your family there. You’ll…you’ll always have a family.” 

His heart had been racing with stress but she felt it calm and sync with hers, the tension of his body relaxing. She forced him to lie down on his stomach, to rest his head in her lap, and rubbed his back, humming to him. 

She watched him calm, his swollen eyes starting to close before he started to lightly breathe, at rest. Staring down at him, she felt so sad. 

…Women were supposed to be above those things, she’d thought. Women were supposed to be above hurting people. Did Elli realize that what she did would hurt her son like this? Did…did she care? 

She watched a stray tear roll down Kyo’s face before they started to multiply. He murmured ‘mama’. Gwen bit her lip. She…she couldn’t comfort him in his sleep. She was helpless again. 

…Had this happened prior to her discussion with Tomei-sensei, she would have said straight out that everything the woman spoke of was a fallacy. 

Only lucky people didn’t have emotions. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Thud. 

Gwen jumped, startled, and glanced behind her to find Kyo had collapsed against the door frame, still on his feet though pretty limply. she’d walked into the kitchen to make him something warm to drink, something to help him sleep. 

Didn’t look that would be an issue. 

She took his arm, helping him up the steps wordlessly and got him tucked into his bed. His cheeks were warm. It wasn’t a fever, just he was over stimulated, maybe. Pressing a cloth to his forehead, she sighed. 

Frowning when there was a knock at the door, she sighed miserably again and stood. Probably one of his relatives. They’d called a lot in the last hour. They all were pretty concerned too but it was getting a little grating. He needed to rest… 

Wandering down the steps, she opened the door and gasped, startled. Woah, her parents? 

Kano and Lane Douglas looked unreadable or nervous or…something. It wasn’t a comforting look, whatever it was. She looked between them before she cleared her throat, allowing them in. “Is…something the matter?” 

She hoped not. She couldn’t handle anymore for the day. 

Lane and Kano exchanged a glance as they sat before her mother smiled quickly, “Um, where’s Kyo?” 

Gwen frowned, settling on the recliner, “He’s upstairs, resting. He’s really upset right now. Why?” 

Lane cleared his throat, “Oh, I’m…sure he is, darling. And a good wife should…comfort.” 

Too weary to get rived up, she sighed and her father continued, “But uh, maybe that’s not what’s best here.” 

Gwen swiftly looked up at him and found him grinning fearfully, “I…I’m just saying, dear, you…you don’t want to be married, right? I mean, it’s against your nature!” 

…Son of a bitch! Why were they saying this _now_? It didn’t matter back when she was complaining whole heatedly about it! 

Glaring heatedly, she grunted, “What is this about?” 

“Just--!” blurted her mother loudly, “P-people will… _talk._ ” 

Gwen cocked a brow, leaning back and crossing her arms, “What…?” 

“Um, we'd heard rumors Elli was having an affair with Tomoe Gill, Tomoe Herbal’s son. That’s…that’s top of the hill power, you see? People will find out he was with a married woman and it just won’t be good.” 

Just like the rich, she thought irritably. They got what they wanted, even if it was bonded with something else. It was just as much fault as Elli’s for being so blind though. Once the game was up, Gill would lose interest. 

“…Where are you going with this though?” 

Kano grimaced and smiled slightly, “We, uh, just thought it was in your best interest if you separated yourself from Kyo.” 

…..What? 

“The Yagami family will be in a lot of negative media light now, something we don’t want you to have to be involved in” Lane explained. 

“It’d be easier for you! I mean, I know he’s your husband but-but we wouldn’t make you remarry or anything if you didn’t want to. Just leave this before it gets you involved somehow” Kano insisted. 

Gwen stared at them as if they weren’t…them. 

…What? 

“Now!” Kano said brightly, pulling her up and grabbing Gwen’s shoulders, pushing her towards the steps, “We’ll send for some vans so you just go pack, alright?” 

Gwen gaped at them but found her legs wandering up the steps. 

…It was what she wanted. Her parents would leave her alone about marriage; she would never have that expectation, she could pretend that they separated her from the only man she’d ever loved. She could avoid the whole ordeal with Sara revealing her sham. She-she could be on her own again! It…it was perfect. And Kyo, he’d be free to explore all he wanted again. He’d find a wife, he’d be _happy_! It was the best thing for both of them, she thought brightly, starting to rush into his room to share the good news. 

“Gwen…?” 

She jumped, surprised, by the weak raspy voice of Kyo, nestled under the covers like a sick child. His eyes were heavy and his face still appeared red but…Gwen walked over to him slowly and sank down on the edge of the bed. He stared downward and mumbled some. “I’m pathetic, aren’t I?” 

She gawked, “What?” 

“I’ve…I’ve been crying like a freakin’ kid for hours. I-I just…I just couldn’t even help it, I-I held it all in around my sister, I…I didn’t want to break down in front of her. If…if I broke down, it’d just make the situation that much more miserable…I didn't want to upset her even more, I didn't want to be a burden” he mumbled. 

Gwen swallowed a hot lump as he continued, “I bet my brother didn’t cry. Well, maybe a little, but he didn’t weep. Jyun isn’t the weeping type. I didn’t think I was either but huh, I guess I learned a few things today…” 

“You’re not pathetic, Kyo, you’re human. Our feelings vary. Just because you _cried_ , because you were hurt, that doesn’t mean you’re weak…” she murmured. 

He was silent for a long moment. She found herself floundering… 

…Her parents wanted her to leave him. That was ironic and convenient. But the reason they wanted her to leave him…? 

Gwen jumped, surprised, when he grasped her hand…it was warm. She looked at him and he smiled vaguely. 

“…Thank you. You…didn’t have to, or, I wouldn’t even expect you to but you…you stayed with me. I probably would have done something foolish if you hadn’t been here. I…I think I needed someone…” he whispered, closing his eyes, “I…I’m glad you were here.” 

Watching him as he dozed off, she wordlessly stroked back a stray tendril of his hair, leaning over to kiss him gingerly on the forehead. 

…She could have feelings too. 

Standing, she stalked back down the steps and her parents looked up before appearing confused. 

“Oh, do you need help, honey?” asked Kano, frowning thoughtfully. 

“With what?” she said simply, “I’m not going anywhere.” 

Lane and Kano exchanged an alarmed look before Kano rapidly shook her head, “Honey, please, I thought we agreed--” 

“You agreed” she laughed humorlessly, “ _You_ agreed that I needed to take ballet; you agreed that I lie about my ethnicity on entry exams and college applications. _I never_ agree to anything because it's all to suit what you both think is best!” 

Kano recoiled, stunned, as Gwen glared at them angrily, “You don’t give a hot damn about whether I’m going to be thrown into some media frenzy, you just care about your own necks!” 

“See here--” Lane started irritably. 

“I just _hope_ that’s not it anyway” she whispered, “I _hope_ there's a better reasonthat my parents are asking me to leave someone who’s mourning right now for something so trivial and-and stupid. They…they aren’t heartless.” 

The blood drained from their faces and she swallowed, “I won’t. I won’t…leave him for a reason like that. I refuse. So…so thank you for your concern but I’m a tough girl. If something like crazed paparazzi pop up then I’ll survive.” 

She marched over to the door and opened it, looking miserable, “I’m tired. I’ll talk to you guys later.” 

“Gwen, please--” Kano started to plead. 

But surprisingly, Lane grasped her shoulder, “Very well, Gwen. I’m sorry we proposed something like that. It is cruel. We just wanted to watch over you.” 

“I’m a big girl” she said dryly. 

“I know” the blond man agreed. 

“LANE--” 

But the man pushed her out and looked back at Gwen, “Give him my condolences.” 

Gwen nodded shortly and closed the door behind her, leaning against it before sliding down to sit, burying her face into her knees. She just gave up the absolute best opportunity. She would have been free. 

…But it didn’t hurt. Maybe a little but not much. It would have hurt a lot more if she’d violated her convictions. She wasn’t heartless either. 


	9. Lesson Nine

Gwen Douglas sat next to her ‘husband’, feeling awkward. His family eluded her quite a bit. They were all just so weird and, well, successful? It was nuts! Who was the black sheep when everyone did so damn well? 

It’d been about a week and a half. Kyo was still pretty torn up about it even though he was acting kind of numb but he’d smile occasionally. 

What got her was it always seemed to be for her sake… 

His cousin Carrie’s and her cousin Kurt's daughter, Emma, was turning five and decided to have a birthday party with Kyo’s dad’s graces. It was clear that neither Kyo nor Hoshiko wanted anything to do with these dealings. 

Kyo glanced around and sighed miserably, looking down. He must have been thinking about his mother somehow, she knew. He seemed to always be reminded of her. Gwen sighed to herself and looked up when Carrie called after her daughter, sounding almost distraught, as the girl dashed towards the door only to return, looking cross. 

It was the first emotion other than melancholy she’d seen from him in a while: irritation. 

Jyun, over a webcam call with the birthday girl, announced that he’d return today. Kyo and Hoshiko had scoffed. If the divorce hadn’t brought him home then why would a birthday party? And he’d even promised the poor thing too. 'Just what they needed', Kyo had said icily, 'more lies'. 

She’d cringed. She honestly didn’t like him cynical. But the girl was completely convinced and ran off every few moments from the merriment to see if he had arrived. It was a tad depressing… 

“Jyun’s changed” he muttered, “He used to be reliable. He told me real him died. Maybe he has.” 

“Stop that” she chastised, “One of us having a bad relationship with our sibling is enough.” 

Kyo sighed and smiled some, “Maybe.” 

Hoshiko was standing and apologizing to Carrie who was irritated that Emma wasn’t letting them proceed to cut the cake. But for what? Her brother’s promises weren’t hers, after all. 

But… 

“Yay!” exclaimed the little girl, a little different from her short visits to the door. 

“Oh my God, look at you! You’re not my little shorty anymore!” 

Gwen looked up, startled. Everyone in the room, including Kyo, froze. Whoever it was was chattering with the little girl in the doorway, obstructed by a wall. Gwen glanced at her husband as his mouth fell open. Gwen looked back and she was very, very confused. 

A guy walked in, he was excessively tanned, like, the girls in California would _kill_ for that tone. His hair was extremely long, like reaching down his back, brunette, braided. His dark eyes were hidden by some bangs... 

“Hey” he greeted as if it was the most normal thing in the world. 

Emma looked haughty, in his arms, “See? Emma told you he’d come.” 

No _way_. That…that was Kyo’s brother?! 

Everyone, including herself, was shocked, silent. But Carrie, who’d been the most skeptical of them, besides Hoshiko and Kyo, about his return, squealed loudly, dashing towards him and leaping into his free arm, “Oh my God, you’re home!!” 

The strange man laughed, “Of course. I can’t break a promise to Emma now, can I?” 

Gwen gaped at him and everyone started to rush him, demanding. Hoshiko stood off, looking flabbergasted, before her boyfriend grasped her shoulders and pushed her off to greet him. She looked to Kyo, expecting him to run up to Jyun in much the same way… 

Instead he was exiting towards the deck. 

…What? 

She stood, quickly following him, and found him outside, gripping the deck tightly, his jaw ticking. Gwen scowled and crossed her arms. “…Okay, isn’t this what you’ve wanted for like, three years?” 

Kyo shot her an angry glance before grunting, “I tell him I need him. We need him, our dad needs him, and he tells us 'two weeks'. _Two_ weeks, Gwen. To me, it would have been within that hour.” 

He turned around to face her, his gaze still cross, “But Emma, she asks him to come to her birthday party and he makes it happen instantly. He comes for that. He doesn’t come when _we_ need him. Maybe I was wrong about the unreliable thing; he’s just selfish.” 

Gwen stared at him for a moment, realizing he was hurt. He asked his brother to come home and he’d been ignored, it seemed. 

Frowning, she crossed her arms, “Kyo, you told me your brother left because something happened that broke his heart, right?” 

He looked at her before nodding shortly. She sighed, “Maybe…maybe he did plan to come back within those two weeks. But what he needed to brace himself for was to come back to the unhappiness he'd left. I…I don’t think he was being selfish. Maybe he just felt he’d be a burden if he didn’t have his feelings in check too.” 

Kyo frowned and shook his head, “But--” 

“If he asked you to come back, do you think he’d want you coming back in a state worse than his?” she pointed out reasonably before she murmured, “Emma changed all that because she gave him a happy reason to come back. What’s happier than a little kid’s birthday party? It gave him something to look forward to, I bet. Something to buffer everything that he’d have to come back and face. I…I don’t know if it’s selfish but…but it’s his coping mechanism, I bet.” 

Kyo went silent and stared at her a moment before smiling, “I’m not used to you being so level-sighted, Ms. Douglas. I thought you were a crusader for all things women.” 

She bristled, “I am!” 

He laughed and patted her shoulder, “Thank you. You’re right, I’m…I know my brother. He always has his reasons, even if I don’t understand them.” 

Gwen sighed and he squeezed her shoulder next, pushing her towards the door, “Go inside before you get cold, Ms. California. I’m going to stay out here for a bit.” 

“…Okay.” 

She sighed and wandered in. Well, whatever. She sat down and stared at his brother for a little while. Maybe after a few minutes, she clicked a picture of him with her phone because something was seriously bugging the hell out of her. Sending it out to the dynamic trio and her “BFF” Marissa, she awaited a response. 

“Gwen!” 

She jumped, surprised, and quickly smiled when Hoshiko called to her, “Would you like a slice of cake before it’s all gone? It’s really good!” 

The woman had been in a really defeated bad mood prior, much like Kyo, but Jyun had definitely brought a bit of a magical spark into the picture. Gwen nodded and the slice was handed over to her. 

His family didn’t seem to much know what to make of her. She was a peculiar ‘addition’. Kyo seemed to inform most of them the whole thing was fake, something she wished she could do but alas. They were nice to her though whenever she chose to participate. She really only came this time as moral support for that idiot outside catching his death in the cold. 

Jumping when her phone vibrated, she sighed getting the four texts within minutes of each other. She opened Shelly’s. 

‘was totally going to cuss u out 4 interruptin my nap but glad u did. i need 2 pack, i’m moving 2 japan. the sexy is off the charts!’ 

Gwen smirked and looked at Michelle’s next. 

“omg, that much hotness cant be legal! who is he??” 

Then Rachel’s… 

“you have Kyo, ho, save him 4 me!” 

Last, Marissa… 

‘omg, he looks like an exotic kyo. i want!’ 

Gwen texted them back saying it was Kyo’s brother before closing the phone, cocking a brow. It was weird, she really honestly hadn’t had this feeling in a while but… 

She found him madly attractive. 

Grimacing, disdainful that she was having any such feelings again, she wandered towards the deck to tell Kyo she was going to go. “Kyo, I think I’m going to go home. I have an early day tomorrow--” 

She was surprised to find his brother had slipped outside while she wasn’t looking and swallowed, alarmed, “Oh, uh, sorry, was I interrupting…?” 

“Nah, we’re good” Kyo assured, turning around, standing next to the older man. 

They were the same height really. Same eyes too. Maturally, Kyo wasn’t tanned, they were working 10 degree days. The elder Yagami kind of stared at her, bewildered. He might have recognized her voice, but… “Um, I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure…” 

“Hmm? Oh yea, this is my wife” Kyo said as if he was talking about the weather. 

Gwen could smack him but his brother stared at him just kind of regularly before replying, “I’m sorry, for a second there I thought you said she was your wife.” 

“She is” Kyo said with a sigh. 

She sighed too. Jerk. 

His bother just kind of blanked before he cleared his throat, “Okay…next question.” 

It must have been something common between them, she’d seen his dad do it a lot too but Jyun slapped Kyo in the back of the head, “When did you get married!?” 

Kyo flinched and groused, “Ow! It’s a long story!” 

“Which I _expect_ to hear soon” Jyun retorted. She gasped as he turned to her. What? 

“And you. I don’t know you well but I have to ask: why him?” 

Kyo scowled at his brother over this slight and she found herself laughing, “Why him indeed…” 

“Oi, go home” Kyo clucked his tongue, “You have your 8 am, right?” 

She cringed, really wondering what she’d been thinking when she signed up for that class, and nodded before Jyun jabbed his brother again. “I at least want a name for my sister-in-law, baka.” 

“Oh yea, Jyun, this is Gwen. Gwen, this is my formerly MIA brother who looks like Fabio now.” 

Nah, Fabio wasn’t _that_ hot. Jyun glared at him and bowed some, “Pleasure to meet you this…much later.” 

“Um, nice to meet you too” she smiled quickly, noting her vibrating pocket, “Kyo spoke of you often.” 

“All negative” Kyo added. 

Gwen smirked at him and Jyun smirked as well, “Right.” 

After exchanging a few more words, she walked away and sighed, hugging herself against the cold as she looked at her cell phone. 

‘i didn’t think gorgeous was so genetic, i must have missed that lesson in bio’ Michelle had responded. Shelly, her ever sweet innocent friend, questioned: ‘is he well-endowed 2? ask him or i’ll come verify, either way’. ‘tell him i can be single in a minute’ Rachel announced. Gwen snickered at them. Weirds. But Marissa’s text actually made her pause. 

She’d sent Marissa a lengthier text, saying he was Kyo’s brother and she found him kind of cute herself. She responded: ‘he’s way hot, def. but he looks like kyo so do you find him hot 2?’ 

… _What_? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Find Kyo cute” Gwen found herself muttering in her sleep, “How stupid!” 

She’d lived with Kyo for two years and never once had she looked at him and said, 'man, he’s hot' or attractive or anything. And she really didn’t see the two brothers as all that similar either! Stupid Marissa… 

She grimaced as she found herself curling tightly under her two comforters. Where was the heat? Why was it so bloody cold? 

Gwen grew suspicious when she started to shiver and shake and it felt like she was actually outside now. Opening her eyes, she let out a irritated sigh and was alarmed. Dear God, she saw her breath. 

Jumping out of bed, she hissed as the cold hit her even harder and she quickly bundled herself in a cloak of her blanket, rushing towards Kyo’s room. 

It was empty, the door open, and she frowned, glancing towards the front door. He was walking in from outside, it seemed, dressed in his coat and looking irritated. Looking upward towards her, he groaned. “Heats out and it’s like a blizzard outside.” 

“H-heat’s out?” she chattered, “W-we’ll freeze to death! We need to go to a hotel until someone can fix it.” 

“Uh, yea, we’re not going anywhere.” 

“And why not?” she hissed, starting down the steps. 

He opened the door briefly but long enough for her to see that the snow was well up to his hip. “Took my thirty minutes to trudge through that stuff. Either A, we leave and they find our frozen corpses a yard away from the house or B, hope neither of our cars dies. Or y’know, C, make due.” 

“B-but it’s _freezing_ ” she yelped, horrified. 

He made her sit in front of the fire and shuffled around the house, finding two heaters and bringing down almost every blanket they owned between the two of them with a sweatshirt too. 

Laying all the blankets out on the floor, turning on the heaters, he sighed, “Call your dad and tell him we’ll die if it stays out or we’ll be stuck in this area for a while.” 

She nodded quickly and grabbed the phone. The man freaked, of course, but couldn’t find anyone to come out until morning or noon. Gwen grimaced but had to accept it. Ugh! Of all times! 

Kyo handed her the sweatshirt, “Wear that if you like. Should keep you toasty.” 

In no position to argue, she tugged it on and he sighed before glancing at her as he sat. 

“So…are we going to do this survivor wise or just try to shudder to sleep?” 

Confused for a second, she gasped, glaring at him, “We are _not_ cuddling!” 

“It’s not _cuddling_ , it’s sharing body heat!” 

“I don’t care what pretty name you put on it, it’s cuddling and it’s not happening.” 

Kyo rolled his eyes and lied down on the makeshift bed, “You’d be the first to die in nature, Gwen.” 

She glowered at him and ‘hmph’d’, taking her end of the mountain of blankets. She lasted maybe 25 minutes. 

Kyo was staring absently up at the ceiling when she turned over, gritting her teeth, “No funny business!” 

“Duh.” 

Glaring at him and absolutely hating this predicament, she slowly scooted closer and _hugged_ his side. She rested her head on the area between his shoulder and chest and shivered. 

“This SUCKS.” 

“Sure does.” 

She jumped a little when he actually dragged her on top of him, wrapping his arms around her, and looked at her drowsily, “Let’s just make the best of it and go to sleep.” 

She’d kill him. But ugh... his body was so nice and toasty. He’d be cold if he were dead. 

Overall, it wasn’t really cushy because, well, he was muscle. More muscle than she’d thought because he ate like no tomorrow. She jabbed his stomach a couple times just to make sure. 

“Stop molesting me, woman.” 

“No one’s molesting you, man.” 

He snickered and he opened his eyes for a moment before they fell closed again. She frowned because for the first time she noticed he had really quote on quote 'effeminate' eyelashes. They curled and everything and they were long, sooty. 

Swallowing, his breathing steady as he slept, she decided to observe him. It shocked her but he _did_ look like his brother. 

Kyo’s jaw was a little bit squarer, but only a tiny bit, and his nose was a tad different but otherwise. Oh, and his hair, naturally, but it was the same color pretty much. 

So she was lying on top of a guy that looked like a guy she thought was hot. This sucked! 

…Or did it? 

She groaned and hushed herself, closing her eyes. Well, whatever. She’d known Kyo for a while now. It would never be an issue with him. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _She’s kind of pretty.”_

Kyo woke randomly at dawn, kind of confused about the circumstances of why he was lying on the floor downstairs with Gwen wrapped around him. Course, when the cold nearly froze his face, he remembered. 

He stared down at her, frowning. Her hair had fallen from its usual ponytail, the golden tresses kind of wavy, pressing against her cheeks tenderly. Reaching down gingerly, he stroked them away from her face. He supposed her personality kind of kept him from noticing. When she was barking at him about being a ‘barbaric man’ or nagging him about everything he did, it kind of made it difficult to notice what that person looked like. 

She looked almost angelic asleep, he thought with a faint snicker. It was a shame really, that she wore those baggy clothes. Even the stuff her sister gave her didn’t seem all that flattering. Well, they flattered her personality but maybe not her body. 

He’d never actually seen much of her body though but those legs. He wasn’t used to absurdly long legs like that. She was almost as tall as he was, now that he thought about it. Probably a result of her dad. She sighed sleepily, snuggling further into his side. Kind of cute, actually. 

Feeling sleepiness hit him again, his head lolled, his chin just over her head as his mouth fell agape. Psh… 

Gwen cute. He must’ve been delirious. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Lane, really! You-you should convince her!” 

Lane Douglas spared his wife an exasperated look as they headed towards the house with the electrician. This was getting tiring. “I thought you _liked_ Kyo.” 

Kano Douglas bit her lip, “I-I _do_. But Billy Graves said Blake wanted her back! Imagine if they reconciled! It’d-it’d be better.” 

“How so?” he asked absently. 

“It-it just would” she blustered. 

Glancing at her, he shook his head, “Our daughter had conviction when she spoke to us about leaving Kyo, Kano. Whether she was our cheerful cheerleader or fiery feminist daughter, she _never_ would have been so upset with us. Now you can mention it but I have no issue with Kyo. He’s a bright lad and very responsible. I think he’s fine as her husband.” 

Kano’s eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms, “You’re not going to support me on this, are you?” 

He smiled gravely, “No.” 

They arrived at the house and he stepped out, grimacing. Hopefully the two hadn’t frozen to death, this was crazy. Kano followed, the tiny woman nearly getting lost in the snow. 

“B-but they don’t even _act_ like a couple! They don’t kiss or hug or-or anything!” 

“Well…” Lane pondered as he opened the door. 

Stepping in, the electrician already outside doing his thing, he blinked around. Definitely brisk, he shivered. His eyes widened when suddenly Kano gasped. Cocking a brow at her stunned look, he followed her eyes. 

The two had made a little makeshift area of heat, it seemed, between a fire, two heaters, and a mountain of blankets. But that wasn’t what really got him… 

They were cuddled together, Kyo’s fingertips relaxed softly in Gwen’s hair, his head tilted toward her. She lied against his shoulder, her arm rested on his chest. They looked rather cozy considering how cold the house was. 

“Gwe--” Kano started to call. 

“Shush!” hissed Lane, grasping her shoulder and leading her back out to the warmth of the car. 

“B-but--” 

He didn’t really know what the case was with the two. True enough, Gwen never kissed or hugged or anything with Kyo like she did with Blake. Or she never endlessly spoke of him like Blake. 

…But he realized that maybe there was something there. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _Kyo, the hot water’s kind of iffy in my bathroom, can I use yours?”_

Sure, he’d admitted her groggily. What did he really care? He was pretty exhausted. 

He’d slept well on the floor night, actually. It was just that night after his body seemed, well, angry with him? Unlike most men, he enjoyed cuddling. It was the intimacy without the _intimacy_ in a matter of speaking. And he liked that on occasion. Course, he was irritated that his body was mad. He was cuddling with _Gwen_. There was no intimacy to start with! 

Now all off schedule, he’d dozed for a nap when Gwen asked him that but he woke not long after. He sat up, sleepily rubbing his eyes before standing. Now he was hungry. Starting to go look for food, he turned on instinct when the door to his bathroom opened. 

…….. 

Gwen stood there, water dripping down her creamy skin to rosy pink nipples, her golden locks pressed against her head. 

…Where…was her…towel? 

“ _Ahh_!!” he screamed, quickly covering his face, “I didn’t mean to!!” 

“What are you freaking about?” 

_What_ ? “What do you mean ‘what am I freaking about’?! You’re naked!!” 

She snorted, “So? I’m not ashamed of my body.” 

What!? “That’s not the damn issue, you’re _naked_!” 

She sighed, “Grow up, Kyo. I know you’ve seen plenty of naked women before. Only difference is nothing is going to happen _because_ I’m naked.” 

Kyo, just because, kind of parted his fingertips and caught a glimpse of her backside as she returned to her room, the water droplets running down her butterfly tattoo. He trembled. Ugh…not…cool. 

Okay, she definitely had a nice body. He could definitely declare her ‘pretty sexy’. But she was right, nothing was going to happen here. He grimaced and smiled wearily. 

…Tell that to his body. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

_So Yagami Jyun had left because of a broken heart._

_Gwen swallowed, startled. It had been completely random, her walking by the river houses. She was just going to go get some groceries, after all. But to her surprise, she found Jyun lifting some heavy boxes into one of the houses. A woman was with him and was alarmed about not being able to help him, it seemed. Why wasn’t she helping? She had a baby in her arms._

_Jyun sighed and glanced backwards before catching sight of her, “Oh, Gwen, hey!”_

_His female companion turned to her, confused. Gwen was a little as well. She was pretty, pretty short, she had to say. Maybe five foot tall or something. Or maybe she was just tall. The mystery woman had shoulder length PURPLE hair and bright blue eyes._

_The baby in her arms must’ve been her daughter because she had the exact same attributes. Here she thought purple eyes were strange. She was innocently suckling on her sippy cup and stared at Gwen curiously._

_Jyun dropped the box inside and came back out, “Oi, Roomi, this is Gwen, Kyo’s wife. Gwen, this is Roomi.”_

_Gwen groaned. She’d never get used to anyone saying that but the woman looked shell-shocked._

“ _WHAT?! Kyo got married?! When?!”_

_Jyun shrugged and ‘Roomi’ looked thoughtful, “Hey, think you can do me a small favor?”_

_Jyun glanced at her questioningly but next thing Gwen knew, she was holding the baby and Roomi was moving the smaller boxes into the house._

_She was frozen, stunned, as the little girl just kind of held on for sweet life. Poor thing, she grimaced. Sorry she didn’t really know how to hold anything._

_Finally managing to get a comfortable position, holding the baby outward so it was like she was sitting on a chair, she followed the two. She heard Kyo say Jyun was moving to another house. However, why was he doing it alone?_

_She grimaced as the baby dropped her sippy cup and started to reach for it. Gwen sighed and knelt, grabbing it for her. Why couldn’t she just get boxes? But the little girl seemed content enough where she was, starting to babble stuff._

… _Gwen supposed at some point in her life, when she was pushing her plastic baby dolls around in strollers, that she wanted kids. But as she got older, she resolved that it just wasn’t going to happen. Her mother had been shocked and sobbed about it often. Whatever. Kids…kids were a responsibility she didn’t want to attempt to undertake._

_The girl looked up at her and grinned. Gwen smiled shyly at her. Even if they were cute._

“ _Wait, wait, I’ll get on the front!” Roomi suddenly yelled, interrupting her pondering._

“ _Roomi, this thing could literally crush you! GOD!” Jyun grunted, struggling with a rather large box, teetering._

_Gwen watched as he reached the living room and actually collapsed face forward on top of it, gasping for air before looking up at the woman, his eyes narrowed. “Woman, a box of shoes should not weigh a quarter ton.”_

_SHOES? Really? She was thinking bricks. Jyun looked strained though so she offered. “Uh, I can grab some boxes if you want to take the baby…”_

_Her hot ‘brother-in-law’ stood, stretching, before stroking his chin thoughtfully, “So by your awkwardness around Fujiwako, I’m guessing you won’t be having any of Kyo’s devil spawn, right?”_

_Gwen grimaced in her head. She didn’t want kids but she definitely hadn’t thought about them with him. Giving an honest answer, she laughed nervously, feeling awkward, “I, uh, honestly haven’t really thought about it…”_

_Roomi, the still mystery woman, smiled and reached out to take ‘Fujiwako’,“Regardless, thank you. I think I can handle her now.”_

_She nodded rapidly, relieved, and made her escape._

_Kids?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Ugh! That idiot! I would have helped him, sheesh! Even if he is moving in with her, I don’t want him to die.” 

Gwen informed Kyo of what occurred when she got home, watching the man cook. He glanced at her, “Is he still putting stuff away?” 

“No, there was only a few more boxes when I left an hour ago.” 

Kyo sighed, “That’s Jyun for you. Ever the self-reliant one.” 

“So who’s Roomi?” 

Kyo dipped the curry out on the plate, handing it to her, “The love of his life.” 

This caught her off-guard. “Her? She’s…short.” 

He laughed, licking his fingertip, “Yea, I didn’t think he had a loli complex but she’s cool.” 

“She seemed familiar with you” she added, sitting at the table as he followed. 

“Eh, we banged a couple times” he said almost simply. 

Gwen paused and stared at him to see if he was serious. He was. She dropped her spoon, “You _slept_ with someone your brother loves?!” 

“He was there.” 

“… _Ugh_!” 

He laughed a little, “It was complicated, Gwen. But Jyun’s really not like that anymore, I don’t think.” 

“No kinky threesomes anymore?” she grunted sarcastically. 

He smirked at her, “No.” 

She just grumbled and he cocked a brow before he rolled his eyes, “ _Oh. My. God._ Don’t tell me _you_ like my brother.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded. 

“Everyone” he laughed irritably, “Every woman I dated _ever_ just fell head over heels in love with _Jyun_. Doesn’t matter what he did, it just happened. It irritated the living hell out of me. And now, even you, Ms. I-Hate-Men, someone that at one point told me it was a feasible plan to annihilate men, thinks he’s hot!?” 

“I just think he’s pretty” she announced haughtily. 

Kyo snorted, “Oh, okay, that’s better.” 

“You can’t get _jealous_ , idiot, we’re not together” she grunted. 

“I _can_ get jealous because even _you_ find him attractive. He’s a curse to every man ever!” 

Gwen smirked, licking her spoon, “He’s your brother.” 

“That makes it suck even more!” 

She snickered and smiled at him as he sulked at her, remarking with a measured amount of satire. “I mean, women _love_ the artistic type, you know? The gloomy types with the long hair and mysterious eyes.” 

“Bah, humbug.” 

Gwen chuckled and he stood, going to get seconds, “So your mom came by today. I don’t know why but she gave me the idea that she hates me.” 

She felt a scowl cross her face. Indeed, her mother seemed to be pressuring her to end this marriage for some reason. In any case, it was welcome. Or it would have been welcomed if that thing about leaving him because his mother divorced his father hadn’t come first. She wasn’t going to let that be the reason, damn it. 

Feeling her stomach turn though, she really knew the reason, alas. “Can I…tell you something? 

He sat back down and cocked a brow, “Uh, sure. What’s up?” 

“I think,” besides the whole ‘divorce’ reason, “my mother doesn’t like that you’re Japanese.” 

Kyo paused mid-bite of his curry before dropping the spoon and cocking a brow, “What?” 

She sighed and he cocked a brow, “So your mother hates me because I’m Japanese which she is also?” 

Gwen nodded slowly, “She…she thinks it’s harder to make it that way and since she can rightfully pass for American or English, she does.” 

Finishing the curry, she leaned back, looking at the empty bowl, “I…I didn’t actually know I was Japanese, y’know? Not until Kurt came to stay with us for a while. I hadn’t even met my Aunt Yoshiko either.” 

Kyo stared at her weirdly for a moment and she glared at him, “ _What_?” 

“Um, sorry, go on. I actually kind of forgot you and Kurt were related, you never, like, talk.” 

Gwen snickered, “I just barely know Kurt because a part of his rehab program was to get away from his circumstances or something so he came and stayed with us for a year when he was seventeen. I was only like ten though so it’s not like we actually bonded or anything.” 

“Huh, then how’d they bring you up in this whole arranged marriage deal?” 

“Dunno…” 

Kyo’s brow furrowed as he sipped his sake, “So your mom’s rejected her culture. But your Japanese is pretty good though.” 

“‘Pretty good’?” she bristled. 

“Well, Gwenzy, sometimes it gets a little valley girly.” 

“When?!” 

“Usually in your ‘r’s. I guess you’re used to having an ‘l’ there so you just kind of add this pirate ditzy ‘rl’ sound and it’s cute.” 

She threw a bottle cap at him, embarrassed that he actually noticed her one issue. “ _Anyway_ , I don’t know. I think she wants me to marry a nice…” 

“Aryan?” he said extremely dryly. 

Gwen glared, “My mom’s not an effin' Nazi, bastard.” 

“Perhaps” he shrugged, “But I don’t see why it even matters. If you liked someone enough, what does it matter my ethnicity? Besides, why wasn’t she opposed to it when they were trying to arrange our marriage?” 

“At the time she was more concerned I’d never marry” she sighed deeply, “I guess now that I’ve been ‘married’ this long, it’s time I ‘upgrade’.” 

“Ouch.” 

He sounded rather irritated. Gwen glanced at him, “I know it’s really dumb and racist and hurtful but it’s not like it matters. We won’t be together much longer.” 

“Yea…except I liked your mother” he mumbled, kicking the table, “She brings me cookies.” 

Gwen smiled wistfully, “I’m sorry. Truly.” 

She didn’t really understand it either. But… 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

A few months passed, a few months to go. 

Gwen relaxed as she stared at the documentary in class. It was calming now, she had to admit. Maybe not so much that it was going to end soon but…huh, she didn’t know why. 

Frowning as her cell phone vibrated, she glanced at the text from Kyo. Unlocking her phone, she read the message. ‘hey, my fam’s going to this reward thing. i think ur parents are going too so u prolly have to show’. 

Gwen rolled her eyes and fought a groan. Great. She hated fancy events more than anything. She texted back a disgruntled ‘FINE’. After a moment, he texted back: ‘my grandma wants every1 2 go 2 her shop 2 get a dress’. 

…Dress? 

She grimaced. A dress. She hadn’t had to wear an evening gown since Senior Prom. No freakin’ way. She’d play it off. There was no way she was wearing a dress for something this lame. It wasn’t even that big a deal. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Gwen frowned as she waited downstairs on the night of the event, having gotten ready in a matter of, well, minutes. She picked out a white blouse and a nice pair of slacks and did a quick run through of her hair and voila. 

So why was Kyo taking so effin’ long? A nice shirt, a pair of slacks, and a tie. Done. Sheesh. 

“…Uh, what?” 

She scowled and turned to her ‘husband’ and was shocked. 

He came down the steps, wearing a well-tailored black tuxedo, something straight out of James Bond, pretty much. His tie was a little off-kilter but otherwise he looked a lot more distinguished than she'd ever seen him. His brown hair was actually brushed neatly, framing his face rather than all in his eyes and he stared at her. 

“Um…” 

“W-what?” she demanded, finally regaining her composure. 

Kyo glared, “Where is your _dress_?” 

Gwen squared her shoulders. Oh, that’s right, she was _expected_ to wear a dress, huh. “I think what I have on looks fine.” 

“Yea, for like an interview or business casual party” he grunted. 

Seething, she flicked him off, “Screw you! This is what I’m wearing and you can get over yourself!” 

“Why do you have to _always_ downplay s—t? Fine, if you didn't want a _dress_ , at least make some f—king effort!” he bristled, returning the obscene gesture, “Christ!” 

Gwen’s eyes widened and he stomped out of the house. What? How-how dare he?! 

The walk over to his brother’s home was thick with irritation and anger and whatever else. He stomped up the porch of the nice riverside home and rang the doorbell, sending a glare back at her which she responded with a ‘kiss off’. He gritted his teeth. 

Gwen did a double-take when his brother answered, dressed in an all black tuxedo with a cream colored tie and handkerchief in his pocket. 

…Uh oh. Even Roomi had on a pretty blue gown, her hair up and all jeweled up. Gwen was mortified. 

Okay, she didn’t have any problem with making a statement against the ideal that women had to wear dresses or whatever. But she definitely didn’t like getting stared at which definitely would happen if it was a _very_ formal affair which she was getting the idea was the case. Kyo glanced at Roomi and glared back at her, irritably. 

“See? This is what women usually have to wear to these things!” 

Gwen couldn’t help bristle. So he was still stupid enough to say something sexist like that?! “So all women _have_ to have dresses, is that what you’re saying?!” 

“Just once” Kyo laughed incredulously, holding up one finger, not the middle one this time, “ _Once_ wearing a dress. A tea dress, a frolic in the sun dress, a freakin’ nightgown! _One_ dress!” 

He probably meant that he didn’t think she even owned one which was about right, all her formal gowns were back in California. But that didn’t matter! 

“Can I ask what’s going on?” his brother finally questioned when they stopped yelling at each other, staring at her. Ugh. 

“I’m not taking a man to this thing” Kyo said rather icily.. 

“Funny, I was thinking I wasn’t going to be seen with a whiny woman!” she countered. 

Holy crap, did she just say that?! Damn it, he was making her sexist against her own gender now, damn him! 

She glared at him angrily for this and he just glared back in general. Roomi rested her hands on her hips, remarking, “Ouch. But uh, you were going to wear that?” 

Gwen flustered. She hated when women were judgmental. “I…I didn’t see the reason why I had to wear a dress.” 

“Grandma invited everyone down to pick out a dress but no!” Kyo growled, frustrated. 

Gwen snapped at him, “Shut up! I’m not catering to your stupid chauvinistic bull!” 

“Oh, Feminist 101!” Kyo threw his hands up, obviously exasperated, “I’m sorry that for _once_ I wondered what it’d be like seeing you at least _slightly_ dressed up in _anything_ besides militant gear or just flat out 'normal'! I’m sorry, just forget it!” 

Honestly, she was surprised though she hid it. What? What kind of desire was that? How freakin’ ridiculous! 

Jyun sighed before saying rather absently, “You two are too much like a married couple.” 

Oh God, she definitely didn’t want to hear _that._ But Jyun crossed his arms, obviously a little more even tempered than Kyo as he asked gently. “Did you want to wear a dress or are you okay with that? I don’t think it really matters.” 

She froze. Did she really mind? She wondered. She felt herself grow embarrassed though under all this scrutiny and stomped her feet, mumbling, “I guess I would have been fine with going to get the dress from Yagada, I just didn’t want a big deal made out of it.” 

It was true. Maybe she would have at least got something a little flashier if she knew it was going to be this fancy. There were pretty non-dresses. 

Jyun glanced at Kyo who just looked annoyed before he rolled his eyes around, “Roo, hook her up?” 

Gwen’s eyes widened. What? The shorter woman seemed skeptical as well, remarking, 

“Uh, yea, except she’s like an Amazonian goddess and I’m a miniature hourglass pear.” 

She blushed. What? Amazonian goddess? And well, true enough, the woman was short and curvy but she could see why Jyun may have appreciated her shape. Men probably definitely would admire her. 

Gwen started to scowl at the action that screamed of degradation when Jyun smacked Roomi’s thigh, “An hourglass pear _goddess_.” 

However, she was actually a tad shocked and well, weirded out, when Roomi returned the action, slapping his ass, “Thanks, baby.” 

Roomi turned to her and waved her on, “C’mon, let me see what I can do really fast.” 

Gwen, just kind of puzzled now, frowned and followed Roomi up the stairs of the house. 

Definitely, the woman had more clothes than she’d ever had and she used to love shopping. 

Roomi dug through the closet and threw out random things she had that she seemed to think would fit. Gwen swallowed and felt awkward. Was she _really_ going to do this? Just because Kyo said he wanted her to wear a dress? No! She refused. 

Suddenly though, Roomi questioned, “So what’s the deal with male chauvinism and anti-dresses?” 

She stiffened, grumbling, “I…I don’t see why I have to. I’m just catering to a man’s ideal, aren’t I?” 

“Wha? I just like this dress. My sister made it” the purple haired woman remarked, seeming confused about what Gwen was saying. 

Gwen stared at her, a little surprised and bewildered. What? “Well, uh…” 

…Well, maybe it wasn’t just that, was it? Some women did like wearing dresses, it seemed. And she honestly didn’t have a problem with wearing the article of clothing in and of itself, it was just that Kyo mentioned it so heavily. And men seemed to find dresses attractive, thus, it must have been something almost like voyeurism in a sense. They just wanted them to wear what was seen as feminine and nonthreatening. 

Roomi stood up straight suddenly, looking thoughtful, “The way _I_ see it, if I can't wear a dress because men expect me to wear a dress then either way I'm letting them affect what I'm doing. If someone said 'you can only wear a dress ever', if I decide to wear a dress, I'm listening to them, if I don't wear the dress, I'm just living to defy what they've said. That's not looking at what _I_ want.” 

Gwen gaped. Wait. “That's...that is true.” 

“That much aside, you can wear what you like. I understand what Kyo's saying, really. He wanted to see you a little fancified and you just kind of brought out your normal. But again, that is entirely up to you. Thing is, you keep saying 'I won't wear a dress because men say I should'. But screw men for a second and ask yourself what it is you would like to wear. Additionally, does your outfit make you feel great? Clothes are a passion of mine but you should also feel awesome in what you're wearing.” 

Gwen was puzzled but she did understand. 

Back in Cali, she was happy to show herself off. She was happy about guys looking at her, thinking she looked great. But later she realized she was just looking for that attention and started to wear stuff that covered her. 

However, she really actually didn’t feel all that great in what she wore. She felt like she was hiding something sometimes and when she looked in the mirror she was always a little lifeless about what she saw. No, she had to wear those things though, people would think badly if she wore skirts or tight shirts. 

Dear God, she had been worried about what other people thought? 

So confused and in an inner conflict, she gaped a bit. Roomi smiled brightly, “You’re tall, have amazingly long legs, a gorgeous body, so you have a lot of room so you can feel great wearing stuff. It’s not crazy, I swear.” 

Gwen forgot that was possible. She swallowed as Roomi winked at her, “Let’s work some magic.” 

She stretched out a pretty strapless black dress. It might have reached Roomi’s ankles but on her it was about knee length. Roomi pointed, “Try that on.” 

“But--” 

“Ach, no arguing. Do.” 

Gwen couldn’t help but pout and sighed, started to undress. Roomi smirked, cocking a brow as she went through her jewelry, “Careful, I’m bi.” 

Gwen paused, unsnapping her bra, eyes widened, as she stared at the woman. Uh? But she laughed. 

“Don’t worry, you’re fine. I’m with Jyun.” 

Uh...? Maybe a little freaked, she shook her head. Whatever, no real need to be concerned. Sheesh though, bi, voluptuous, and saucy? No wonder Kyo and Jyun had fawned over her. 

She grimaced, struggling to zip herself up but Roomi skipped over, helping her. “Oh, it’s perfect! It’s not squeezing your boobs or anything!” 

Gwen couldn’t help leer, “Well thanks.” 

Roomi waved a hand, returning to her jewelry, “You have the perfect size. Not too big, not too little. I bet Kyo loves them.” 

She snorted, “Yea.” 

Roomi returned with a silver necklace with a black stone and matching black stud earrings. Gwen swallowed and put them on as she had her sit. She started to hot curl her hair, pilling it all up in a pretty bun, stray pieces hanging down. 

Gwen was alarmed when she started putting make-up on her too. Jeez, she hadn’t done make-up in _forever_. The woman suddenly smiled. “There! So pretty.” 

Gwen swallowed and glanced at herself in the mirror. It…it felt pretty. 

Roomi handed her a wrap to put around her arms, saying it was still a bit cold outside, and clapped. “Okay, we’re done!” 

Gwen stood and took a deep breath, starting to follow her out. She hadn’t looked like this in years. It felt…wrong. 

But was it vain that she kind of liked looking at herself? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kyo paced the floor of his brother’s house, grunting, and glaring back towards the stairs, proclaiming, “Roomi is hot!” 

Jyun sent him a look before saying rather flatly, leaving no room for question, “I’ll let that _compliment_ fly if it’s the only observance you choose to make on the subject.” 

Kyo paused and glowered. He really didn’t know _why_ he expected his ‘wife’ to dress up or anything but in his mind, he had. And he was actually kind of excited. Otherwise, had he been practical, he would have just shaken his head. But since he got his hopes up for whatever reason, seeing her just dressed so plainly, he snapped. 

“I…I don’t know, she’s…she’s beautiful and no matter what the circumstances are, I feel it would be kind of nice to see her do something different. Y’know, not trying to surmount men and our overly manly thoughts.” 

Gwen was pretty. Gorgeous even. Why she tried to play that down was beyond him. It wasn’t like she had to worry too much about molesting men, she was too strong willed and violent for that. Maybe she just liked dressing masculine though. He’d seen a lot of feminists that did so. 

Jyun agreed to this, “I suppose I never did understand that. I’m not going to generalize every one but all the feminists I’ve met, they really do give it a go at looking exactly like men. I mean, if you’re trying to be equal, why would you attempt to look like your oppressors?” 

“She'd demand why she can’t look like a man” he rolled his eyes. Or she _would_. It was actually one of those things he never chose to question until now. 

“Well, uh, she can, but why? People can wear what they want, no doubt, but for an actual ideological reason of trying to overthrow men? I guess they want to break gender roles but really, I mean, it feels like something's broken in the though process, I guess.” 

It was mind-boggling to him too. “I know! I don’t understand!” 

“Okay boys, we’re ready!” called Roomi.   
  


Jyun stood up at the sound of her voice and Kyo sulked, “Did she comply?” Like that’d happen. 

“Shut up” Gwen muttered before he could see her. 

Roomi appeared, pleased, “She’s gorgeous.” 

Kyo’s brow furrowed. Wait, she did comply? Looking towards her, he gaped, his eyes wide, shocked. 

She was wearing a black dress, her hair up, and her face made up too. He wasn’t even sure he was looking at the same woman. She shuffled her feet. 

“I…I don’t really like the idea that people will see me.” 

…For some reason, that actually bothered him too. And…that bothered him. 

Roomi poked her, “Hey, hey, you said you felt nice so just go with it. You’re strutting it because you got it, got it? No more hiding yourself from people you shouldn't give a damn about.” 

Gwen raised her chin proudly and nodded, sending a glare at him, “Well? Happy now? I dressed up.” 

Swallowing, feeling that maybe he had been a little more comfortable with the blouse, he answered, “…Maybe.” 

Gwen looked angry, “Well the only thing this more glitzy dress-up is wearing a damn puffy princess gown which I’ll _never_ do--” 

“No, no, not that” he quickly interrupted, “You’re just…a lot different in a dress than I thought you’d be. I’m not sure I want other people to see you either.” 

This seemed to catch her off guard, his admission, before she sniffed, shoving him, “Well then, that only makes me want to go out in it more. Thanks.” 

Kyo grunted. Dang it. Roomi laughed, walking over to him and straightening his tie, “You be good, she’s nervous.” 

Jyun crossed his arms, “You couldn’t have hooked her up with heels? I mean, the flats are kind of cute but…” 

Roomi shook her head, “Uh, yea, I wear a size 5, she wears a size 9. It wasn’t happening.” 

He chuckled, holding her waist, “Ah. Well, let’s go wait outside.” 

Gwen glared at Kyo as he glanced back at her before smiling nervously, “Uh, really though, you…you do look nice.” 

Just…different. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Man, she was glad she dressed up. She would have gotten _hella_ stared at. Maybe if she had a pretty blouse since other women had done that but her shirt had definitely been too plain. 

Kyo, at her side with his sister, grunted, drinking a glass of Chardonnay, “What’s up with your boyfriend? He doesn’t come to dinner nights anymore and now this?” 

His sister cringed before smiling, “Salary work is tiring.” 

“Meh” he remarked irritably. 

“Don’t be so callous” snorted Gwen dryly, “It’s not like you have a permanent long hour job anyway.” 

Kyo snorted back, countering, “Well thank you, ‘wife’, whom has probably never even had to have a job, for setting me straight.” 

They glowered at each other. Well wow, nothing had changed between them. Even the awkward remark he made had dissipated. After a moment, the two Yagami’s glanced toward their brother who was across the way with Roomi. They just kissed and hugged and couply stuff. Rachel would be disappointed, snickered Gwen to herself. 

“They’re so sickeningly… _cute_ ” remarked Kyo, disgusted. 

Hoshiko laughed, “I just think it’s weird that it’s Jyun.” 

“Oh definitely” agreed Kyo without missing a beat. 

She didn’t really know how their brother was but eh. She turned and gaped, shocked, when her eyes crossed a woman across the room. Her name was Eileen Olivier. She wrote the book her teacher was so blatantly opposed to. 

“A-ah” she rasped, her eyes locked on the woman who was standing beside a man. 

Kyo cocked a brow at her before following her gaze, “And who’s that?” 

Her mentor _hated_ that woman. Hated! She shouldn’t have been flustered, she should be angry! Why would she want to talk to her? Turning away, stunned at herself, she mumbled, “N-no one.” 

Kyo glanced at her before he rolled his eyes and she squealed as he suddenly took her elbow, walking her towards the woman, “It’s probably one of your favorite man-hater writers so you might as well go over.” 

No, the opposite! “W-wait!” 

She wasn’t too bothered. What was Kyo going to say? The woman would probably snort at them. But Kyo, her ever confident ‘husband’, smiled, “Hello.” 

The woman was a fading strawberry blonde, her eyes a pretty hazel color, the man beside her a tall brunette with blue eyes. If it were Tomei-sensei, she would have glared at them but the woman actually smiled. “Hello.” 

“My wife here is a fan. Of course, she’s too shy to come over at a mix-and-mingle” he remarked with a sigh. 

Gwen pouted and elbowed him and the woman laughed sweetly, “Oh, I promise, I don’t bite.” 

Gwen swallowed and smiled nervously, “Um, of course. I, uh, have to ask, are you familiar with Tomei Mayoko?” 

She suddenly groaned, “Ah, yes, we used to actually do seminars together before I changed my mind about everything and she’s written me a lot of angry letters.” 

Kyo cocked a brow and Gwen sighed, “Sounds about right.” 

Gwen looked serious, “I just wonder, what made you…change your mind? I actually was pretty intrigued by your ideas in your recent book. Tomei-sensei had us write a large paper on decrying it for its principles but I wasn't as angry as my classmates or Tomei-sensei…” 

The woman nodded, “Well, my father left my family, as the case usually is, and my mother remarried a man that used to sexually abuse me. So much so that, well, I ended up having to get an abortion.” 

Gwen’s eyes widened and she sighed, “It wasn’t something I was ready to admit in my book but I really wish I had. It _crushed_ me and I swore that I’d never trust again.” 

“You mean men” Gwen amended slowly. 

She smiled wistfully, “I said I was a feminist but y’know, I never trusted anyone after that. Men _or_ women. My mother actually didn’t believe me when I told her it was him that was doing it, that he was the father. It wasn’t until my little sister got pregnant that she left him.” 

Gwen swallowed and she laughed, sighing, “It’s hard to change your mind in those cases. You just think everyone’s against you.” 

She waved a hand at the man beside her, “This is my husband, Brando Morelli. I guess he’s the reason.” 

He was Italian, it seemed, and he smiled softly. Gwen tilted her head, “Was it…easy?” 

“Oh God no” she snickered, “I even fought the inherent desire to trust him like the plague. When you’re stuck in one mindset for so long, it’s hard to see another. You don’t even want to believe it’s possible.” 

“Trying to get her to notice me was horrible” groaned the man, “Or at least not yelling at me that I’m worthless.” 

“I know that feeling” Kyo smirked. 

Gwen elbowed him again and she clasped her hands, “I…I just find it strange. I know it’s a little weird but I became a feminist because of my own choices in life prior. But your reason, it’s honestly more credible than mine and yet…” 

“Oh dear, we all have our own reasons. Everyone, whether they think it possible or not, is capable of forgiving and moving on. I refused to talk to my mother for nearly ten years after what happened but I invited her to my wedding and well, we reconciled.” 

“…But could you forgive your step-father?” 

Eileen chuckled sadly, “Well, that’s when it gets tricky. I had actually forgiven him, went to see him, in fact. Nevertheless, he hadn’t changed. Even demanded why he needed to be forgiven like he hadn’t done anything.” 

Gwen scowled but she smiled again, “I’m just glad I did though. The most important thing I can tell you is that no matter what, be happy. I…I was angry. I was angry at men for what they did but then I didn’t even realize I wasn’t happy. I’ll never forget what happened but you can’t let such matters dictate the way you live your life.” 

Gwen frowned before slowly nodding. Kyo smiled, “So wait, you’re not a man-hating feminist writer?” 

“ _Kyo_!” hissed Gwen. 

Eileen laughed, “No, not at all.” 

“Awesome!” 

Gwen groaned and he turned away for a moment when his sister and Roomi walked up. They looked very upset. Kyo frowned. “What’s wrong, babies?” 

Hoshiko rubbed her arm, “Mama’s here” 

Gwen gaped and looked up to Kyo, his eyes wide, horrified, “Where?” 

“Jyun’s gone off to talk to her” Hoshiko added wistfully. 

Kyo gritted his teeth, looking off, “…F—k.” 

Gwen grimaced as Jyun actually stormed back into the room, grabbing a bottle of alcohol and rushing for the front door. Roomi quickly excused herself and rushed after him. 

Kyo looked after him before growling, “I guess that didn’t go so well.” 

Hoshiko shook her head and hugged Kyo’s side, biting her lip, “It hurts so much, Kyo. Aren’t we supposed to be older? Why does it hurt like this?” 

“…Being older doesn’t mean we don’t have feelings” he whispered sadly. 

Gwen looked at him, surprised. 

Yea. Everyone had their burdens to bear. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kyo stood outside on the balcony looking at the moon. His mother… 

Jyun and him, according to Hoshiko, were ‘mama’s boys’ and she was about right, he thought with a sigh. This…this crushed them. This wasn’t supposed to even be fathomable. His mother? But then, maybe everyone thought that… 

“…You okay?” 

He glanced over his shoulder as Gwen walked up the long flight of marble steps, hugging herself in the wrap, the night air still brisk. 

“I’m fine” he assured. It just wasn’t something he could allow to dictate his life, like that author lady said. 

Gwen relaxed backwards against the railing beside him, looking down at the flat shoes she was wearing before sighing. “Just five more months, huh?” 

He glanced at her and sighed as well, “Yep. Weird, isn’t it?” 

“I bet it’ll be strange going back to the way I used to live” Gwen admitted, “I won’t have meals randomly cooked for me or anything.” 

He chuckled, “It will be odd, just living by myself again.” 

“You know, you could have just left” she mumbled, “Your mother was the only one convinced we were truly married.” 

“Nah, I promised you I’d hold out for your sake. It wasn’t really an issue. Just the whole not being able to have sex thing got me.” 

She leered at him, “You know as well as I do that you didn’t go cold turkey.” 

Kyo snorted, “Y’know, my brother told me he’d gone without sex the whole entire time he was gone and I didn’t believe him. Then it hit me that I’ve gone years without it too.” 

“Rreally?” 

“Uh, yea, imagining your dad finding out scared any arousing thoughts out of me” he snickered. 

Gwen rolled her eyes around, “My dad, for what it’s worth, is a teddy bear.” 

“Uh huh, he about threatened my life when he left your sister with me once. Teddy bear indeed.” 

She chuckled and he kicked against the railing, the wind tickling his face, “Um, about the whole dress thing, I didn’t really mean to spout off all that junk. I just kind of thought when you agreed you’d get a dress or something interesting. I just was excited because it was something a little different and I was a little disappointed. But really, you didn’t have to.” 

Gwen glowered at him but he stuck out his tongue, “Though I do think it suits you.” 

“ _This_?”   
  


“I don’t know, it just seems more natural” he tossed his hand around, “Like, you’re not a lumberjack, all that plaid you normally wear is unnecessary.” 

She snickered, elbowing him, “Ass.” 

The wind tousled his hair a bit more and he turned his back to the railing. Staring up, he sighed, “This night feels like we should, y’know, do something.” 

“Like what?” she cocked a brow. 

“Like, I dunno, hug or something.” 

Gwen snorted loudly, “Right.” 

“Aww, c’mon. Give papa a kiss” he cooed playfully, trying to hug her. 

“Bleh!” she whined, trying to shove him away. 

He laughed, hugging her waist against him as she glared daggers, her arms crossed. “You’ll make some man really happy someday, Gwen.” 

“Uh, right.” 

“Right” he assured, “I don’t think you’ll be alone because I don't think you want that.” 

She frowned and he chastely pressed his lips against hers. 

He jolted a little when wolf whistles came from down the steps and she squeaked, tugging away quickly. Kyo blushed and glowered down at all his relatives who were waving. 

“C’mon! We’re going to go and eat at Tenshiya’s!” called Jyun. 

“Oh my God, banana cake?!” 

Gwen smirked at her ‘husband’ and he grasped her hand, pulling her down the stairs excitedly. 

Funny thing was, she might actually miss him. 


	10. Lesson Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smutty McSmutter Lemon (AKA, sex).

Tomei-sensei’s lessons about sex used to get her riled up, mostly because it was something she believed she used to enjoy, that it had lowered her. 

“ _Kyo, really, it wasn’t MY idea.”_

_Yagami Kyo glared daggers at her as they pulled up to ‘their’ house, pushing the key into the door. “You. You and my baby sister, I expected to be like, ‘no, no! We’re not putting on scanty clothes and walking into the lion’s den!’ but no, no, you…you put on THAT. You put on THAT and go out into public!”_

_Okay, it started off as a bad idea to begin with: a bachelorette party. Roomi and Jyun were getting married._

_She was a tiny bit disappointed and telling her friends, they were crushed, which made her laugh, honestly. But whatever the case was, Roomi weirdly made her a bride’s maid. That was interesting._

_But of course, the party? That was to dress up and go out to dance._

_Gwen hadn’t been dancing in years and never in Japan. Truly, she probably would have been more comfortable as a stripper because those men groped her like there was no tomorrow. She wore shorts, white with a halter. She didn’t think she would be all that attractive but God!_

_It got out of hand, to the point where she was ready to fully decry men again. But naturally, out of nowhere, all the husbands and boyfriends and fake spouses appeared to the rescue. Kind of irritated her, honestly. Of course, she kind of got distracted from that when she gawked, watching Jyun just about kill the guy that started to drag Roomi away._

_Well, he probably deserved it._

_Shaking her head, she truly learned her lesson. Never again! She sulked at Kyo and just wanted to wash their grasps off of her but he grasped her wrist._

“ _They didn’t hurt you, did they?” he finally questioned._

“ _No” she muttered before sulking, “You smell like liquor.”_

_He sighed and nodded, wandering towards his shower whilst she escaped to hers, where, once again, the hot water was being stupid. The guest bathroom's water was also really cold so she just sighed and waited for a reasonable length of time before going to take Kyo’s._

_She wasn’t sure if he was asleep but she figured he was. She opened the door slowly before stifling a gasp. Oh crap, he was naked._

_Wandering around his room in his birthday suit, searching for something as he dried his hair, he paused almost directly in front of the crack…_

_Her sister said something about him having the hottest physique ever. She hadn’t noticed but his chest was chiseled, pretty much, to perfection. The tattoo on his shoulder added an almost dangerous effect. And oh, Shelly DEFINITELY told her about_ _**that**_ _and damned if she wasn’t right, that couldn’t be natural._

_Cheeks burning, she jerked away from the door and grasped her chest, stunned._

… _Alright, f—k it, she'd fought the admittance like a disease for nearly the last year but he was gorgeously drop dead sexy. It…it didn’t matter though, he was still Kyo._

Tomei-sensei’s lessons about sex, they used to get her riled up. Now they got her riled up about a certain someone. 

All the women in the class were appalled, either virgins or just pretending they had no idea what the teacher was talking about. She was speaking about, of all things, ‘positions’ and why each of them degraded women in some way. All Gwem knew was she wanted to do all of them. 

If she wanted to be honest, she’d admit that she loved sex. She was extremely sexually active back in the day but when it just got out of hand, she quit it without hesitancy. And she was okay. Sometimes she thought about it but she generally didn’t care. 

But now? Now, it was a burning _ache,_ her body complaining that it hadn’t been touched in such a manner in too long, that it humored her, but now? Now she had something she found very attractive at her very disposal. Kyo. Kyo wouldn’t mind…maybe. 

Imagining him naked again, bathed in moonlight, sent a shiver down her spine. Damn… 

She looked up before hissing. No! No, she would not go back down that road. She didn’t need Kyo to satisfy her needs and it’d also turn her into a hypocrite. She said sex wasn’t a requirement and she’d stick to it, so help her! 

Two weeks, she counted, gritted her teeth. Two weeks and she’d be out of his life and him from hers. Good riddance! 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

'Damn him', she shook. 

It was hot. After having such a cold winter, they were having an intensely hot summer. Kyo was lying on the couch when she returned, shirtless and only in his boxers. She’d actually let it go for the last couple of years because she never actually stared at him. But knowing what that body looked like naked now… 

“ _Kyo_ ” she snapped. 

His eyes opened and he glanced to her before sitting up, “Oh, hey…” 

She pointed, “Put some pants on, sheesh!” 

Gazing at her sleepily, he actually complied without complaint, returning with some sagging jeans. Ugh, that didn’t help! 

“I’m so tired” he murmured, wandering into the kitchen to make dinner. 

He was working a lot lately, she noted. Probably to save up for a new place, she figured, though they’d have the divorce period to prepare for all that. 

Gwen sighed and walked over to help. She squeaked, tripping on the edge of the rug and was about to fall into the counter. Damn i— 

She gasped when Kyo effortlessly caught her, his arm wrapped around her waist to steady her, “Oh wow, are you okay?” 

Gwen was frozen. She was pressing against him. 

“I’m fine!” she quickly blurted, pushing away. 

Kyo probably watched after her, confused, when she ran to her room to hide. Ugh, this was _so_ wrong. 

…Two…weeks. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Gwen wandered around outside of her home for a while, until she just got fed up with the heat and headed for Roomi's house. The woman, now apparently pregnant, let her in, confused. 

“Why, to what do I owe this visit?” 

Gwen collapsed on the couch and shrugged, “I just wanted to visit?” 

“Bull, blondie” snickered Roomi, sitting. 

She sulked at her before sighing. Roomi was an odd character. She was so extremely outspoken it was intimidating but it felt like she could tell her, well, anything. 

“Lately, I…I’ve kind of wanted Kyo” she admitted hesitantly. 

“‘Wanted’?” 

“…In a sexual way.” 

Roomi snickered, “Abouttime! I was starting to get worried!” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she blustered, “It’s _fake_ , I shouldn’t want him!” 

The shorter woman shrugged, standing, “He’s sexy. It’s a very common trait of the Yagami’s. They attract. Now you want to bang him, thus, go bang him.” 

Gwen sulked, “You make it sound _so_ easy.” 

“It is” Roomi pointed out. 

“It-it is not! I’ve given up sex!” 

Roomi cocked a brow, “You give up _smoking_ , you give up _drinking_ , but giving up _sex_ when you still _want_ to have it? No.” 

Gwen flustered and shook her head, “It’d…it’d be too awkward.” 

“You’d love it.” 

She sulked at her ‘sister-in-law’ who grinned, “C’mon, what’s the harm?” 

“…” 

What’s the harm indeed? She refused. Giving into temptation? That was a weakness. He was not her weakness. Nothing was. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Seven days, Gwen.” 

She looked up from her plate, dazed, before smiling, “Y-yea, pretty soon!” 

Kyo stared at her blankly, “You okay? You’ve seemed out of it lately.” 

“I’m fine” she mumbled, shaking her head. Stop. 

“You know, there’s only one thing I request when we split, Gwen” he suddenly said, standing and taking his plate. 

This got her a little alarmed. What?! Money?? Prenup crap? She’d kill him! Glaring, she demanded as she stood as well, “And what’s that?” 

“Come see me every once and a while.” 

She paused, startled, as he dropped his plate into the sink. Wha? Was he nuts? Why wasn’t he asking for money? 

“Why would you want that?” 

“I don’t know, I’ve just gotten used to you, I think” he said with a quirky smile, “And a part of me may even miss having you here.” 

“Just a part, huh?” she muttered though honestly rather touched. 

He laughed, “Well…” 

Gwen wanted to touch him when he turned away to clean his plate. She wanted to grasp his skin, _feel_ it, taste it beneath her tongue... 

Gasping, she covered her mouth, stunned. Kyo glanced back at her, confused, “What’s wrong?” 

“N-nothing!” she blurted, “Um, I’ll-I have to go to sleep. G-G’night!” 

She ran like her life depended on it to hide, the door a barrier keeping her from ripping off his clothes and having her way with him. 

When’d she get so damn desperate?! 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

…This _had_ to be a sick joke, Tomei-sensei, just _had_ to be! 

Luckily the positions lecture was done but now she felt the need for symbolism. She handed all of them a pair of handcuffs. It represented the oppression, the imprisonment, the bonds! 

And a tool she could use for some really kinky sex. 

She nearly squealed, quickly putting them in her bag. No. No more. No more bad thoughts, they were killing her! 

Gwen looked at Tomei-sensei sadly. All the teachings, all the lessons. She taught her not to give into sex, to not give into things that degraded her. Yet why did she want Kyo _so_ badly? She just managed to notice he was hot so why? 

She drove home slowly, sitting in her car outside of the driveway for a long time. This was ridiculous. This was what she hated about herself, her nympho tendencies. Kyo was just another cock. Like Blake had been, like Bobby, like Trey, like Hugh, like Ryan. 

…What was wrong with her? 

Sighing miserably, she went into the house and was startled when Kyo was trudging around, thankfully dressed this time. He looked lost. Frowning, she questioned him. 

“Oh, just deliberating over whether to eat first or take a long nap.” 

He yawned and shook his head, “Sleep.” 

Gwen paused, putting her bag away, before her eyes widened back at him, “ _What_?” 

Kyo choosing sleep over food…? There was always a hierarchy of needs and food was _always_ at the top, no matter how tired he was. She pretty much was able to measure if he wasn’t feeling well by that. But he just was exhausted? 

Clearing her throat, she said quickly, “Kyo, you, uh, don’t have to work so hard. I’m sure that you’ll be able to afford a place easily.” 

He blinked at her before laughing softly, “You think that’s why I'm working so much?” 

Gwen blanked at him and he waved a hand, “Your dad paid a lot of stuff for us so I thought I’d try to earn a bit more money to pay him back.” 

Startled, she gaped, “Dude, my family spends money like there’s no end, you don’t have to pay them back!” 

“Yea, but I’m not a fan of being indebted to people. You know, not money wise anyway.” 

Gwen bit her lip and he patted her back, yawning, “It’s okay, silly, if your parents don’t need it, that’s fine. Maybe they can donate it or something.” 

She nodded slowly as he rubbed his stomach, grimacing, “But you’re about right, I’m not even hungry. I think I’m just going to go to bed. Um, unless you’re hungry?” 

She shook her head and he nodded, “Night, Gwen.” 

“…Good night.” 

She sat down and glanced over her shoulder as he disappeared up the steps. 

…This was different. 

Gwen may have disdained them but even a part in the back of her mind found men attractive still. But never did she want to do things with them. It didn’t cross her mind like it used to. Kyo…Kyo was different. 

…She liked his personality first. 

She swallowed as her mind started to swim. That…that was it, wasn’t it? She liked who he was on the inside before she noted he was hot. The emotional part had been set for a while now, a part that she’d believed would be the extent of their ‘bond’ but the physical part decided to join. 

She… _liked_ Kyo. 

…Why? Why now when it was almost over?! Why?! 

It had to be a fluke, she told herself quickly. It was purely physical, nothing else. Her body craved something it had been lacking and now it wanted retribution. Yes, that was it. Simple as that. 

…Course, if it was so simple, why’d she feel like fire was coursing through her veins? 

Staring up the stairs of what she could see of his bedroom door, she gaped. 

…Once? Could…could once hurt? Could one time wreck things? It…it could be a good-bye of sorts, something to make them feel awkward and like parting was the most relieving thing ever. He said he missed sex and she randomly wanted to have it. It was a win-win situation. 

Licking her lips, she pursed them before slowly kneeling and grabbing the cuffs from the bag. Well Tomei-sensei, no worries, there was no women’s bondage here. 

Swallowing as she quietly pushed the door open, her heart beating rapidly, she felt shaky. Kyo was already asleep, shirtless, his hands actually _perfectly_ thrown above his head. Huh, almost like a go-ahead. 

Calming herself enough to walk over to him, shutting the door behind her, she carefully caught his wrists in the cuffs. He’d freak. If she just came on to him, he’d think she was drunk and do the _sweet_ thing and reject her come ons. She didn’t want that. 

Hooking the cuffs through the bed post before hooking the other, she jumped when Kyo twitched and attempted to move his arms. He woke pretty quickly when he noticed he couldn’t. Looking up, he frowned, seeming puzzled before looking to her and gawking. 

“…Uh, Gwen?” 

She felt a lump in her throat as he looked around rapidly before gazing at her, rather mortified, “Uh, h-hey. What’s going on here?” 

Gwen remained silent, her thoughts swimming and her body threatening to burst as he grinned nervously, “Uh, you’re not going to like, do something to me, are you?” 

Sick of his banter, aroused, she straddled him, sitting on top of his crotch. He stared at her, still confused. What she wanted must have seemed beyond her. “Gwen, what the hell?” he demanded. 

She leaned over him, pressing her body against his chest and whimpered. His body was so _hard._ He opened his mouth to speak again but she wouldn’t let him. She had no desire to speak anymore because actions spoke louder than words. Her mouth sank over his, her tongue prodding his apart as she kissed him. 

Kyo’s reaction was astonishment. 

He whispered something, it echoed like her name, flowing into her mouth. She ran her fingers down his chest. For a moment, it reminded her of Blake but Kyo was definitely thinner. Not that she minded… 

She wrestled with his tongue but really it wasn’t much of a fight, he just seemed too shocked to retaliate. He was scared and she almost snorted. She could tell he wanted to return the action, the way his tongue would occasionally dart towards hers, but would stop as if he expected her teeth to gnash down on it for the nerve of kissing back. 

She pulled away, breathless, and Kyo rasped, shocked senseless, “G-Gwen…?” 

She nipped down his throat, writhed against his body. He started to whisper, his eyes rolling back as she ran her tongue around the cartilage of his ear. 

“ _Damn_ ” he breathed, “Gwen, what’s going on? What are you doi-…?” 

He gasped as she slipped her hand under the band of his pants, teasingly stroking him before untying the ties to his flannel pajamas. 

Kyo groaned, in disbelief, as she started stroking him, kissing his jaw. Was this a test? Was she trying to see if he’d react? He…he wouldn’t if this was a test. Of course, his body didn’t care if it was a test or not, it just knew it was being touched after nearly two years. But by _Gwen_? 

She paused her administrations long enough to tug his pants off completely. Maybe she was going to take a picture of him and post it all over the internet or something. Just why? 

His eyes widened when she grasped the ends of her shirt, pulling it off. He almost wanted to laugh. Her bra was pink? Really? Watching, nearly having a mental convulsion as she yanked her pants down, he noted that her panties were no laughing matter. They were boy shorts. Lacy matching pink boy shorts. He gaped as she grasped his length and rubbed it against her, kissing his chest. “A-ah…” 

He closed his eyes, moaning loudly, his cock hardening as finally all his skepticisms crumbled. This…this was impossible. 

She swallowed and looked at him apprehensively, groaning a little herself, “Don’t…” 

‘Don’t what?’ he said in a tone lower than a whisper. 

He grew alarmed when she slowly released him, sitting up, and looked flustered, clenching her head. “W-what am I thinking?” 

“What?” he yelped. 

“We-we shouldn’t do this!” she blurted, “S-sex is-is intimate, it’s-it’s not something I can just do with you and pretend never happened! What was I thinking?? I-I just have to fight it! It’s just a week longer!” 

'Fight _what_?!', he screamed in his head. 

“I-I can’t believe I almost let my desires win” she muttered, reaching up to unsnap the cuffs. 

…She wanted him? Now _that_ just had to be a lie. 

But she looked flushed. She’d been getting flustered around him lately, he’d noticed. He’d just thought—well, he hadn’t thought really. But this? This was so far from what he’d assumed was going on. Gwen the man-hater, fighting to end any use for male-kind, wanted him? 

Damned if that didn’t _really_ excite him. 

He gazed down as she made her way up his body to apparently release him. Well, she wasn’t a double D Roomi but she definitely wasn’t flat-chested, her breasts smooth and close to blemish free, cradled in the bra almost enticingly. 

She thought she could turn him on like this, huh? Tease him after years without sex, play with him like she could quit at any moment, get away with those times she had managed to arouse him? Oh hell no. 

He stared at her evenly as she fiddled with the handcuffs before saying plainly, his eyelids heavy, “You can uncuff me, Gwen, but you’re dreaming if you think you’ll make it out of this room.” 

She paused and looked at him, startled. The look she gave him back sent exhilarating shivers down his spine. 

“Is that right, _husband_? Sounds like a lot of talk to me” she whispered into his ear almost teasingly. 

“Oh yea? Take them off and I'll show you how much 'talk' it is” he purred. 

Gwen gnawed at her lip, about the sexiest thing he’d ever seen, and as soon as the one cuff fell, he had her turned over under him as his body tensed, excited. She seemed astonished by his swift movement as he growled, running his hand down her back, “You think you can get away with getting me hot and bothered like this? Silly _wife._ Now I’m going to f—k you senseless.” 

He wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her with a tenfold increase of fiery passion. Gwen moaned into his mouth, wrapping her legs around his waist, hugging his neck and running her other hand through his hair. He groaned. Oh jeez. Pulling away, Kyo nipped at her bottom lip. He forgot. He forgot how this felt. He forgot how much he _loved_ how this felt. It was amazing. 

She squeaked when he reached around her to unsnap her bra, starting, “D-don’t!” 

“Why? I thought you weren’t ashamed of your body?” he teased, kissing down her chest, pressing his lips between the two swells of flesh. 

“N-no…” she whined but allowed him to continue. 

He stroked her soft thigh, catching her nipple between his lips, his tongue darting hungrily. This _had_ to be a dream. It’d be messy when he woke up but hell, it was the best dream he’d have ever had. 

She moaned hotly, pleadingly, “Touch me...” 

He lifted his head, running his hand dangerously close to her sex. “Where do you want me to _touch_? I know a few places I think you'd enjoy.” 

She glared, obviously embarrassed but he chuckled huskily, gazing into her amethyst eyes, “I’m teasing you, silly. Don’t worry, I'll make sure I satisfy you.” 

He could tell she was going to remark but he didn’t let her. He slipped his fingers down her panties and groaned in his head as she purred with ecstasy. She was so _wet._

“Nnn, damn, Gwen…” he moaned, pumping his fingers inside her. 

She just cried out passionately, bucking her hips as he continued his actions. Groaning, he relaxed on his shoulder, reaching down to relieve his own tension… 

Gwen snarled and grasped him herself, taking over, “Focus on what you’re doing!” 

He laughed, breathing heavily, “Yes ma’am…” 

Grasping the edges of her panties, he dragged them down, his body almost pulsing. Pushing her legs apart, he leaned down and was alarmed when she squeaked, pushing him up. “W-what are you doing?!” 

He looked at her, confused before he grinned saucily, “Aww, no one’s ever done you right, _wife_?” 

She yelped when he tried to part her legs again, “N-no! Guys don’t…do that!” 

Kyo laughed, “Really?” 

Gwen exclaimed wordlessly as he stroked her inner thigh, murmuring, “Relax, silly. I won’t hurt you.” 

“A-ah, n-no, Kyo…” she moaned, her body arching as he flicked his tongue against her folds. 

Of course no guy did _this_. At least any guy she’d done it with and that was saying something. But obviously, there was a first time for everything. 

She bit the inside of her mouth, whining. It felt really, really amazing but for as outspoken or open as she could be, it was extremely embarrassing. Didn’t take away that it felt _great_ but… 

Her lips parted in a silent scream as he stroked her, his tongue intermingled with the action. No…way. 

Her body tensed, tightened, her breath getting caught in her throat before she started to cry out. It was like a hard explosion she wasn’t used to, her body convulsing almost all on it’s own. Letting out a strangled rasp, she writhed uncontrollably. 

He sat up and stroked her hair from her face tenderly as she gasped for breath. Kyo whispered into her ear, “See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” 

She couldn’t say much of anything but no, it wasn't. Covered in a thin layer of sweat, she closed her eyes, gaping for air in mouthfuls. Kyo chuckled lightly before leaning over and reaching into his night stand. 

“…Aww man, do condoms expire? I mean, they shouldn't but I don't even know if I'd ever had to think about it.” 

Managing to open her eyes, she glanced to him as he apprehensively read the box. Swallowing, finally catching her breath, she whispered, “You don’t need a condom as long as you're 'clean'. I take birth control.” 

Kyo slowly looked up and stared at her before cocking a brow, “…Why?” 

“It kind of takes care of those ‘monthly gifts’ for me. Or did you _really_ want to deal with me and PMS?” 

Kyo gazed at her, wide-eyed, before dropping the box on the table, “Point taken.” 

She blushed as he crawled on top of her, looking away. He kissed her neckline warmly, “What? You don’t like me staring at you?” 

“N-no” she blurted, “It’s-it’s awkward.” 

He snickered and her eyes grew large when he pushed himself inside of her. 

Well-endowed indeed. 

She bit her lip, her eyes rolling back as he thrust inside of her, pacing himself at a medium rhythm. He hooked his arms under the bends of her legs and said coyly. “So…that thrusting thing…doesn’t feel good, huh?” 

“S-shut up” she rasped, “I didn’t _say_ I was _one_ of those seventy percent.” 

Kyo chuckled and she gasped, his length sliding inside of her and she bit her lip, fighting off screaming. Two orgasms in one turn? That couldn’t be right. She was lucky if she got one in like three times. It was impossible… 

Kyo moaned, his hard chest flexing, stiffening, at the movement, his skin silky with perspiration. She bit her lip, barely able to keep her eyes open because of both the sensation and his piercing gaze. It was too exhilarating. 

She grew frightened because she knew this would end soon. It would end but she’d only want him more. That…that wasn’t good. 

But she didn’t even care. Well, you'd been right for the first time ever, Blake. He certainly did do a lot better. 

Even though it felt amazing, something felt off in the universe. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“… _What?”_

_Lane Douglas stared at his youngest child as she sighed, “Really, papa! Gwen told me that it was all just made up and stuff. She only did it before you tried to arrange it so that you’d leave her alone. She plans to divorce Kyo soon too because that was her plan all along.”_

_Kano looked appalled and Lane grunted, “That-that can’t be right, they seem--”_

“ _They don’t ever kiss or hug and are always arguing because they don’t even LIKE each other” the blonde rolled her eyes, “Gwen didn’t even know Kyo had a brother when I first went to Japan! It’s a fraud, daddy. She’s been playing you and mama. She just made me promise not to tell but mama seems so upset about her being with him that I thought, eh, might as well tell now.”_

_Lane and Kano exchanged a heated look._

_They’d been played._

Kano sulked as they marched up the steps of the house they’d bought for what they assumed was their ‘son-in-law’ and daughter. 

“I will never forgive her for this!” snapped Kano. 

Lane grunted in agreement. He supposed he could see where everything was a bit sketchy. Of course, it was the things like rejecting the idea of divorce and the cuddling by the fire that made him wonder. But so help him, he’d punish her and yell at Kyo. He _trusted_ that boy. How dare he lie?! Opening the door, throwing it open, he glared around. Where were they? Scowling when he heard a creak, he looked up at the bedroom door. Oh, this was all over now. 

But... 

“Un, Kyo!” she moaned, running her hands down his back. 

He was biting his lip, guttural moans occasionally escaping his lips. She caught them between her own, darting her tongue between them, his sounds getting lost within her mouth. 

“Ugh” he groaned, parting away to breathe. “Gwen, nn, _f—k._ ” 

She pulled away, rolling her hips to crush against his and she whimpered, “Kyo, I…” 

He laughed breathily, pressing his forehead against hers, his movements rushed but in perfect pace. “Gwen…” 

She screamed before he could finish his remark, shocked as she climaxed, hugging his shoulders like her life depended on it. Her heart was racing madly, her mind in a state of disarray, her body utterly and absolutely pleased. 

Actually, no, it wasn’t. It wanted _more._ Kyo was practically throbbing and she braced herself for his release that would only add to her own… 

“ _Gwen Douglas_ \--” 

………Oh hell no. 

The squelch of rapidly parting flesh was almost too humiliating as they both screamed bloody murder when her parents threw the door open. 

Kyo actually completely wrapped the covers around him like a cocoon, hiding under them on his side like he was sleeping as she yanked the sheet around her, her face scarlet red. It was like a four mile traffic accident, things were so backed up in her head. She was yelling incoherently and mashing everything she wanted to scream at them into muddled words. 

Her parents stood there, their jaws pretty much on the floor, and Gwen just grew irate. Picking up things off Kyo’s dresser, she threw it at them madly. 

“ _Get the_ _HELL_ _out_!” 

They both escaped like the room was on fire and she flew to her feet, taking the sheet and wrapping it around her body before running down the steps. What the hell were they thinking?! How dare they bust into _Kyo’s_ room?! And not only that, while they were-- _ugh_!! 

It had been her sickening accomplishment when she was the ‘it’ girl that she never got caught ‘with her pants down’ by her parents. Now, she actually rather missed that accomplishment. 

Her parents _nearly_ made it out the door, she’d give them credit for that, but she darted in front of them, blocking them. Gwen glared, gritting her teeth and panting as she still got over the effects. 

“What. The. _Hell_?” 

“W-we’re sorry!” her mother blustered, blurting. 

Lane just looked mortified and she rapidly shook her head, “ _Why_!? Why would you-what is-why?!” 

“I-it’s just that your sister, she-she said that you-you were _faking_ your relationship with Kyo!” Kano laughed, absolutely nervous, “I’m-I’m going to punish her to death when we get home! Haha!” 

…That little punk! She went back on their damn agreement and told them a week early! Damn her! 

She grimaced in her head. Now great. Her parents caught her having _sex_ with Kyo. They’d think that they were a good couple and it’d make no logical sense for her to just suddenly decide to divorce him a week later. _Damn it_ , Sara! 

So exasperated she could cry, her parents looked extremely uncomfortable, like they’d been the one caught screwing. 

“Uh, well, we’re really sorry about that, Gwen” her father said painfully slowly. 

“Um, yes!” her mother chimed, “We-we’ll get out of you two’s way.” 

They rushed around her out the door as Gwen buried her eyes against her hand. The door actually creaked open for a second and she didn’t look up, just knowing there was an extra tidbit her mother would notice no matter how awkward it was catching her child having sex. 

“But um, you two weren’t using a…does that mean you changed your mind about kids?” Kano asked in a dreadfully hopeful tone. 

Lane jerked her out, slamming the door behind them, as Gwen just shook her head. _Why_? 

Absolutely miserable, she glanced back at the door and wandered upstairs. She was surprised to find Kyo replacing his sheets, dressed in another pair of pajamas, his skin clean and damp like he'd taken the world's fastest shower. 

“…I’m so, so sorry” she cried. 

He just leered at her and grumbled under his voice, “I have never _ever_ been blue-balled like that in my entire life.” 

She grinned nervously, noticing that he must’ve taken care of himself. “I'm sure. So, uh, my parents saw us…” 

“No, really?” 

“And, um, you know…”  
  


“I know” he muttered, shaking his head, “How long?” 

“M-maybe just a few more months” she blurted. 

Glancing at her, he nodded shortly before clearing his throat, “You should go shower and just leave the sheet in the laundry room. I’ll get it tomorrow.” 

She gripped at the crisp makeshift dress, her heart beating, “But it’s not fair that…that you didn’t get a chance to…” 

Holy crap, what was she saying? 

He looked up at her, bewildered, before he looked startled, “…What? You…don’t mean you’d do it… _again_ , do you?” 

Gwen bit her lip, astonished, because that’s exactly what she meant. Dropping the sheet, she pressed against him before licking her lips, playing with the ties of his pants again. 

“…We’ll be stuck in this relationship for a little bit longer now. There should be perks, right? I mean, only if you want to.” 

Kyo stared down at her, wide-eyed, before he lifted his fist to his mouth, clearing his throat, “I-I mean...perks. Yea, I mean, why not?” 

It was such an unsure feeling, she thought then. His lips cautiously traced hers chastely before prodding her mouth open, his arms wrapping around her lower back. 

An extra two months. 

She felt confused because the idea delighted her. 


	11. Lesson Eleven

What was she thinking? 

Gwen turned over on her side, away from Kyo who was sleeping contently, his naked chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm. His hair was a mess, tossed all over his head, his long lashes flickering with movement. 

She had sex with her fake husband. 

Biting her lip, squeezing her eyes shut tightly, she whimpered. Why? What on Earth had possessed her to think it was okay? And it wasn’t even once! Or twice. 

Or three…or four… 

Well, he certainly had stamina. She was pretty sure he was capable of another go too but he’d dozed off from his previous exhaustion. 

She didn’t love Kyo and he didn’t love her so why? 

Whatever. She knew as well as anyone that it didn’t require love but why? Sitting up, she wiped her eyes of the silent tears she had. It…it was high school again. 

…No. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _Why am I so dumb_!?” 

Yagami Jyun sipped coffee as he shrugged, sitting on the couch in his home, “Always been one of my questions, honestly.” 

Kyo leered at him and slouched, “I had sex with Gwen, my _fake_ wife!”   
  


Jyun glanced towards him, his brow raising, “Wow, really? She had to be desperate.” 

Kyo kicked him and Roomi entered the room, waddling and giggling, “Good!” 

Sighing, he reached out and rubbed her slightly extended belly. His first little niece or nephew. It was a pretty bizarre thought. Course, what he’d did last night was even bizarrer! 

He woke up alone but with the memory and apparent need of changing his sheets _again._ He’d slept with her. Continuously. And _Gwen_ started it? 

It was a riddle, he thought, clenching his hair. It was like some kind of mind shattering puzzle where nothing was how it should be and everything was wrong. And what made it worse was he’d do it again in a second. 

Blushing, he bit his fingertip, cocking a brow. True enough, it was impressive. He kept trying to tell himself it was because, oh, he’d been abstinent for two years. That seemed reasonable except it felt _so_ good. It felt better than all the times from the past he’d kept recalled to keep him sane. Jyun got drunk one night after the first time he’d apparently slept with Roomi ever and said it was awesome. He reported that Roomi met each of his touches, each of his actions with matching intensity. 

Gwen seemed a little startled by the things he did but he definitely saw what the man had been talking about now. 

Fujiwako wandered in as he slumped miserably. But why? Why now? Why had they when they were so close to parting? Now they were stuck again, stuck in this horrid awkwardness. Why him? 

He glanced down at Fujiwako who was staring at him with her big bright blue eyes, drinking her sippy cup before wandering away and returning with another sippy cup full of chocolate milk which she handed to him. He stared at her before sniveling, picking her up and hugging her. “Thank you! You’re so sweet and you understand me!” 

Jyun cocked another brow at him and shook his head, “Kyo, I know you. You get attached, okay?” 

“I know that! But it’s _Gwen_. She’s like-like a buddy, not like _that_.” 

“You’ve kissed her” Jyun pointed out. 

“I was moved by the moment!” 

Roomi sat, taking Fujiwako from him, “You’ve bought her presents and stuff and you’ve cooked for her.” 

“I’m just a nice guy.” 

Jyun rolled his eyes, “Kyo, whether you want to admit it or not, Gwen’s probably actually grown on you.” 

“Okay, fine, maybe” he muttered, “But that’s like a result of Stockholm Syndrome or something! It’s not real!” 

“I don’t know, Kyo, I think considering Gwen’s disposition and, well, _you,_ that that would just make you hate each other more after being together this long. Maybe some things had to give but you two have bonded” Jyun pointed out. 

It really wasn’t what he wanted to hear, he thought sadly, but stood, shaking his head, “I…I don’t know. I’ll think about it. But I should get home.” 

Not that he _really_ wanted to. Home meant… 

He grimaced as he entered, Gwen sitting on the couch, reading. 

_Her_ . 

Smiling tightly, he tried to sneak in without her noticing but she remarked without looking up, “You started it.” 

He froze and glared back at her. The hell? “Oh, _I_ started it? Because _I_ was the one that came into _my_ room and tied _me_ to the bed?” 

Gwen glared, looking up finally, dropping the book, “Fine, maybe you didn’t _start_ it but I _stopped_ it then you _started_ it again!” 

Not able to really deny that, he still seethed, “Maybe but if you hadn’t come in the first place to seduce me--” 

“ _Seduce_? How convoluted and arrogant!” she snapped. 

“I don’t know what they call it your country, sister, but where I’m from, when a woman ties me to a bed, takes my pants off, and feels me up, _something_ kinky’s going on!” he yelled back. 

“W-who’d want to do anything with you anyway?!” she demanded, “Y-you’re old!” 

Kyo recoiled, quite offended, before glaring, “Not quite _that_ old, it seems. Who was the one to jump into bed with me?!” 

“Jump?!” 

“Oh, my bad. _Climbed_.” 

“ _You_ were the one that turned it into full-out intercourse!” 

“ _You_ were the one that made it even effin' possible!! It wasn’t in my itinerary to have sex with you!” 

“That’s what they all say, pig!” 

“The pig you slept with!” 

Man, he was getting turned on. 

Maybe in an almost Freudian way, they’d been having sex all along. They argued like no tomorrow daily, hearts racing, faces flushed, body tensed, screaming. They were heaving, exhausted, exhilarated right now, just like sex. 

He was going mental. Paralleling sex to the argument they were having? Though if that were the case, they were down right whores. No, no, there had always been friction. 

He never found her all that attractive until he started seeing more of her. She drove him nuts, her speeches, her hypocrisies, but he just wondered about the raw underneath it all. Their arguments had been the little intimacy she allowed. 

Gwen felt enraged when she wanted to kiss him senseless. She gritted her teeth, _fighting_ away that lunacy. What was happening to her? She _had_ to keep fighting! “And-and it was a mistake! It wasn’t that great either!”   
  


“Is that right?” he snarled, “You weren’t all that impressive yourself!” 

Now the problem was that the argument was _about_ actual physical intimacy. He wasn't sure how to feel about getting a hard on because of this as he glared at her, her face pink with anger, her eyes blazing, her body and chest pulsing. 

“Well you know what?!” she snapped, breaking down, “If I was so _unimpressive_ then you don’t have to worry about it happening again! I-I don’t even _like_ brunettes!” 

“I don’t like blondes!” 

They were panting, glowering at each other. Okay, so now that they had nowhere to go from that bit of grasping at straws, now what? For a blinding second, he was concerned he was the only one that had come up with that psychotic reason for being turned on but Gwen actually dove face forward into him, wrapping her legs around his waist and kissed him hotly. 

He moaned and hugged her tightly to his body, falling backwards into the couch so she was on top of him. She slid his shirt up, running her hand against his bare flesh as he groaned, closing his eyes and frantically reaching for her pants. 

“I’m sorry, I didn't mean it. I love blondes…” he moaned between kisses. 

“Idiot.” 

It felt like he was doused with cold water when a series of loud wolf whistles came from the front door, alarming them both. 

“Now _that’s_ the Gwen _I_ remember! Get him!” 

Gwen looked stunned as Marissa, Shelly, Rachel, and Michelle all entered with Kano who just blustered. Twice, huh? 

“G-guys! What are you doing here?” Gwen blurted. 

“Well,” sang Michelle, “We thought we would visit you! Y’know, since you’re too busy to visit us. But I can’t hate on why you’re busy.” 

Marissa laughed, resting her hand on Gwen’s poor mother’s flustered shoulders, “Guys, stop that! Kano’s right here!” 

“I-it’s fine!” the woman laughed nervously, “I-I should go. You girls have fun!” 

She escaped, probably still mortified from the _last_ tryst she walked in on. Rachel clucked her tongue, “Aww, and I was going to ask if we could ride around the block while you two finished.” 

“ _Rachel_!” 

Kyo laughed awkwardly, standing, “Uh, I’ll go make tea or something while you guys catch up.” 

Shelly propped her hands on her hips as she looked after him, “Aww, poor Kyo.” 

Gwen, flustered, waved them to sit, “S-so wow, this is a surprise. I mean, really, really a surprise!” 

They all laughed, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her to sit as well, Michelle remarking, “We’re sorry, Gwen. It wasn’t like we _meant_ to walk in or anything like it suddenly occurred to us to psychically plan to interrupt you all the way from California so we can time our arrival perfectly in Japan.” 

“W-well, forget about that anyway!” she blurted, “I mean, it’s so weird that you guys are here. Japan, it’s so not you guys.” 

“Whatever, honey. I saw about twenty hot guys just walking here. I’m home” Shelly retorted dryly. 

Gwen snickered and Rachel suddenly looked cross, “And you! What’s this suddenly about the sexy brother-in-law being married?” 

“Oh yea, he's married. Sucks, right?” she sighed jokingly. Sure, Jyun was still attractive but she wasn't going to pine after another woman's significant other, especially Roomi's. 

“Fail, Gwen, fail!” 

She blushed a little when Kyo reentered, wordless, and actually kind of unceremoniously dropped drinks on the table before smiling tightly, “Well, excuse me ladies but I’m going to go visit my dad. I'll be back later.” 

Without much more, he left and Shelly cocked a brow, “Aww, he’s upset.” 

“Really?” snorted Gwen. 

“Hey blonde, he’s your husband, you should know.” 

She couldn’t really imagine why though. They were just saved from making another mistake. What could be better? 

…Right? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“So, I’m taking it some things have changed?” 

Gwen grimaced as she sat outside on the porch with Marissa, the other trio out cold from all the alcohol or perhaps the plane ride as Michelle hadn’t drank anything. She rubbed her arm and shook her head. “We were supposed to ‘divorce’ like this week, y’know? But we had _sex_ and my parents saw so…” 

Marissa chuckled, “So that’s why Kano was so freaked.” 

She just groaned and Marissa glanced at her knowingly, “So if it was just one night of hot steamy sex, what exactly did we walk in on?” 

“…Possibly another night of hot steamy sex” she whined. 

Marissa laughed, punching her arm playfully, “You like him, Gwen. Just get over it.” 

“I’m done denying that I like him, Marissa” she muttered, “I’m just not sure what possessed me to jump into bed with him. I mean, _I_ started it too! I…” 

“Well Gwen, if you’re attracted, then there’s nothing wrong with that! You should even pursue it. Kyo’s not a bad guy at all.” 

“I am _not_ staying married, Marissa! It’d be like a direct slap in the face to my mentor.” 

Marissa rolled her eyes, “Your mentor or your ‘Aunt Lydia’, Gwen?” 

Gwen cocked a brow before getting a little startled by the parallel, “Marissa! You can’t even begin to compare my teacher to the happenings in that book!” 

“I don’t know” she shrugged, “I mean, she’s telling you what’s ethically right from her standpoint and that everything you _ever_ did prior was wrong. It’s a little too tyrannical.” 

“How so?” demanded Gwen. 

“Because she’s telling you what to do, duh. Use that head of yours, Gwen: She’s claiming men are controlling you and she goes around and makes sure you do exactly what she wants you to do! It’s not cool, babe.” 

Gwen opened her mouth to refute this but she couldn’t. The woman did expect them to dress a certain way, to act a certain way, to argue a certain way and about anything or everything. It wasn't the same…right? 

“Just think hard on it, Gwen” sighed her friend, “You may be giving up something you sincerely want because some other woman says so.” 

Gwen bit her lip but found herself nodding. Maybe. 

“Now, you know why he’s upset, right?” Marissa suddenly said. 

“Why, Ms. Psychology Major?” 

Marissa grinned, “He was jealous. You made it sound like you'd secretly hoped to hook up with his brother.” 

“That’s--” 

She almost said 'ridiculous' but realized he’d actually gotten upset about that before. 

...Idiot! 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Yagami Kyo wandered towards the dark house, thankful it seemed that everyone was asleep. He’d hung out with his father for a bit before the man demanded why the hell he was the come-to guy when any of them were grouchy? Why couldn’t it occur to them to visit when they were happy, sheesh! 

He smiled faintly and shook his head. He felt silly, really. Silly because he got a little upset that he was reliving his teen to young adult years where Jyun was the hottest thing that all the women around them wanted. Silly because it was Gwen so why should he care? 

…Silly because he did. 

He rubbed the side of his face anxiously. If they divorced, he’d thought ironically, he’d probably ask her out or something, just because the pressure of them being married seemed to be their downfall. 

Damn it, he liked her. 

He jumped, surprised, when he found the woman in question sitting in the dark, hugging a pillow. Staring around, wide-eyed, he frowned. “Hey, what are you still doing up? Where are the girls?” 

“They’re sleeping in my room” she mumbled. 

Kyo blinked before shrugging awkwardly, “Oh, okay, you can, um, sleep in my bed then. I’ll take the couch.” 

“Kyo.” 

He blanked as she stood, looking cross and scared. She bit her lip and he swallowed, anxious. “Uh, what’s up?” 

“If…if you don’t…expect anything to occur, or-or anything to come of it or just _anything_ , can I…can I ask you of something?” 

Kyo tilted his head before his eyes softened, “Anything.” 

She visibly swallowed before walking closer to him, burying her face against his chest, her arms hanging loosely, “Can I stay with you until I figure out my own feelings?” 

“Of course” he said without missing a beat. 

“And maybe as more your wife than just 'Gwen'?” she whispered. 

He breathed in faintly, a bit surprised but overall rather calm as he rested his hand against her cheek, “…I wouldn’t mind trying that.” 

She pursed her lips briefly before her eyes shifted, “O-okay. Good, then-then that’s settled.” 

“Gwen.” 

She looked up at him and he kissed her warmly, “Don’t be so uptight. It’s just a trial, right? To see if we like it?” 

“E-exactly! I’m glad you understand” she rasped, kissing him back. 

“Mm, good…” 

She bit her lip again before slamming down on the couch, looking apprehensive. He sank down beside her and looked at her curiously. 

“So really, what’s this about? What…what made you want to do this?” 

Gwen played with her hair and shrugged, “I…I don’t know. I guess I don’t want to think that we just had sex for kicks and giggles. It really isn’t what our relationship seems to be about.” 

Kyo sighed, dropping his head back, “I don’t know _what_ our relationship is about.” 

“Not a quick promiscuous romp” she scowled. 

“No” he smiled faintly. 

They were silent for a moment before he shrugged, “Well, whatever. Shall we go to bed?” 

She looked startled before flustering, “T-together?” 

He smirked at her, “Yea, together. I promise, sometimes I actually _sleep_ in bed no matter who my company is.” 

Gwen elbowed him, blushing, and he chuckled, grasping her hand. He pulled her up the stairs towards the room, just stunned. 

A trial huh? Just kind of a taste of what it could have been like if they’d ‘truly’ been married and in some kind of intimate contact with each other. That should be simple. It should do the trick, make him see that maybe it wouldn’t have been that great if he’d seen that other side of Gwen before. 

Course, the thing with trials was sometimes they worked out. 


	12. Lesson Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNING:** There are some racially sensitive remarks made. Please be advised.

….Brownies? 

Gwen yawned and sat up in Kyo’s bed, squinting. Staring at the clock, she gawked. What? It was noon! Ugh! 

Rushing from the room, she hurried downstairs and paused when she found Kyo and her friends hanging out, eating brownies, and laughing a bit. She scowled. Wha? 

“Heyyyyyy, good morning, girl! You take some extra sips of tequila?” greeted Shelly. 

Gwen snorted and Kyo chuckled huskily, “She was just sleepy from school, right?” 

She nodded shyly and he outreached his arm. She was appalled for all of a moment that he would even dare offer such a thing to her but ugh, whatever. Walking towards him, she almost gulped when she settled on his knee. It felt weird after all this time. She squeaked when he pulled her backwards against his chest, kissing her cheek. Ah! 

“So, uh,” she fought blushing, “What are you guys talking about?” 

“Oh, everything! And I have a little confession to make now that you're awake” said Michelle, toying with a strand of blonde hair. 

They blinked at her and she sighed, “I’m preggos.” 

Gwen gasped and the others launched into near hysterics. 

“What?! With Roy’s baby?!” 

“Who gets pregnant anymore?!” 

“You should have told Roy 'no glove, no love'!” 

“Guys!” she laughed, “I’m really happy about this, jeez!” 

Gwen felt sympathetic. “But you _just_ got out of a school, 'Chell!” 

“I know that” she insisted, “But I’ve really wanted to start a family now. Why wait? Both Roy and I have enough to support a family.” 

“Well, _I’m_ happy for you” Kyo said haughtily as the other girls went silent, “As long as you have the love, the support, and the will, you should be fine.” 

“See? Kyo’s understanding!” 

Shelly glared at him, “You may be hung like a horse but you better not knock up our Gwen too soon, you!” 

“ _Shelly_!” Gwen squealed, flustered. 

Kyo grinned lazily, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to double up the Magnums.” 

“ _Kyo_!” 

Marissa laughed and hugged Michelle’s shoulder, “Are you okay though, sweetie? You’re not craving pickles or anything, are you?” 

The blonde laughed as well, “I’m not _that_ far along yet, sheesh!” 

“Well, I don’t know how I feel about my buddy being with child but I _am_ happy for you as long as you’re happy” Shelly sighed. 

They all echoed the same sentiments and Gwen frowned. Huh, a baby. 

“Oh wait a minute!” Shelly suddenly scowled, “You aren’t married, you little heathen!” 

Michelle grinned, “That’s part of the reason why I came, Shell, to let you guys in on my issue here.” 

The girls leaned forward and she blinked rapidly, “I'm going to have a quick wedding in Hawaii. You know, fly my whole family out. Thing is, I’m not going to tell anyone I’m pregnant until after.” 

“How sinful” snickered Rachel, “What does Roy think of this?” 

“Roy’s fine with it. And well, funny you mentioned _sinful_ , my parents and grandparents are devout Catholics” Michelle sighed, “If they knew I was fooling around before I was married, let’s just say I might get, well, kind of disowned or at least lectured about it for the my _entire_ life.” 

“Good thing I’m not Catholic” Kyo mused to himself, stroking his chin. 

Gwen smirked, “You just better hope none of those things actually qualify as ‘sins’ if any of it happens to be true.” 

“Oh jeez.” 

Michelle laughed, waving a hand, “Either way, let’s just say I need this baby to stay between us. The wedding’s next month and I see my very four important friends as bride’s maids.” 

Gwen’s eyes widened and Kyo snickered, hugging her stomach with one arm, “Aww, Gwen, you’re special. You’ve been a bride’s maid twice in a year!” 

She snorted and Shelly cocked a brow, “Who else got married?” 

“My brother” Kyo responded. 

“Ugh! You were involved in that blasphemy?” 

Kyo snickered as Gwen sighed, “She was pretty in her purple dress.” 

“Oh yea, that reminds me! I want to get everyone’s measurements while I’m here. Uh, of course, only if you can make it.” 

Kyo stroked his chin, “Hawaii, huh? That’d be pretty tight. You should go, Gwen.” 

Michelle clapped, “Of course you’re invited too, Kyo!” 

“Sweet!” 

Gwen sighed. Well, he was game, of course. It’d just be a little weird, she supposed, seeing one of her friends getting married. Course, it was probably stranger for her to end up married. 

When the quad were discussing things, Gwen followed Kyo into the kitchen, rubbing her arm, “So what do you think?” 

“Of what?” he asked, making sandwiches, “Going to Hawaii? I think it’s an amazing idea!” 

Gwen sighed and leaned against the wall, giving him a knowing look, “Roy will have to invite Blake.” 

Kyo glared when he looked up, incredulous, “After he assaulted you at the reunion?” 

“It’s more a politics kind of thing, Kyo. Not really everyone you invite is a friend.” 

With a pronounced snort, he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her. She blushed and grumbled, looking around shiftily when he pulled away. “At least give me _warning_.” 

“Surprise kisses are the best. As for Blake, he’ll get a mouthful of fist if he pulls anything” Kyo said simply, sleepily resting his forehead against hers, “Either way, I’m all for a honeymoon.” 

Gwen’s cheeks pinked, rather alarmed, “H-Honeymoon?!” 

“If we’re doing this over right then we should take this as our honeymoon” he grinned lazily, “Gives me a better reason to ask off from work too.” 

A honeymoon? Really? 

…This was going to be weird. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“You should get a bikini.” 

Gwen Douglas glared up at her husband as she got a jump on all her homework, shaking her head, “No.” 

He just pouted, also reading something, “But it’d be hot.” 

“No!” 

“So you’re okay with your body but you won’t go out in a bikini? Or c'mon, a bathing suit of any sort!” 

“Fine, Kyo, I _hate_ my body. I hate it!” 

He just snickered, “I think it’s quite nice. What are you going to wear in Hawaii?” 

“Nothing. I just won’t swim.” 

Kyo scowled, “Going to a tropical _island_ and not swimming is like going to a ski lodge and not skiing, Gwen!” 

She glowered and mumbled, “The others are in better shape than I am. I’ve let myself go.” 

“Hell are you talking about?” 

Gwen dropped her things and glared, “I’m _talking_ about how I’m fat!” 

“In what effin’ universe? Maybe to like an anorexic!” 

She scowled at him and he sighed, grabbing one of her belt loops and pulling her face forward into his lap, “You are _not_ fat.” 

“Maybe not but to California girls I am. Not to mention I don’t have a tan. Roy said at the reunion I was ‘vampire pale’.” 

Kyo rolled his eyes, “You are not. Besides, you’d just look like everyone else if you had a tan and were rail-board thin. And you’re not even like healthy thin either, you have more room for some hamburgers in your diet, lady.” 

“You’re just _saying_ that.” 

She gasped, startled, when he suddenly pinched her side, “Ah! What are you doing?” 

He pinched her other side and she flinched away, glaring, as he leered, “See how much that hurts? It's because I can’t find any excess to pinch. You’re in amazing shape, okay? At least wear a bathing suit.” 

She grumbled, crossing her arms, “I’ll think about it.” 

He kissed her warmly and released her, picking up his book, “Anyway, once you’re done with your homework, I’ll make some dinner. What do you want?” 

“Doesn’t really matter.” 

Kyo sulked at her, “You are the most noncompliant woman ever.” 

“I am not!” 

He snorted before looking thoughtful, “We could go shopping together. You know, just for a change.” 

Gwen frowned, looking up, before shrugging, “I guess. I do need some notebooks for school.” 

He clapped, “Awesome!” 

She squeaked when he grabbed her arms and skipped off out the door before briefly returning to grab her shoes. Idiot. 

She blushed as he held her hand, humming. They walked around in the bright summer night, the day longer though it was technically evening as they entered the more commercial area. Gwen wasn’t used to holding hands anymore. However, it seemed like one of her ‘husband’s’ favorite things. 

Honestly, she was a little surprised when they actually skipped over the actual stores and went to the pretty little farmer’s market area that was just bustling with activity. Kyo shopped here? 

He picked up a bright red tomato, turning it in his hand before murmuring, “Mm, I think some pesto and tomato pasta would be yummy.” 

Gwen blinked, noticing some jalapenos and bell peppers, “Mm, stuffed bell peppers. I haven’t had those in forever.” 

“I’m not really a big fan of bell peppers” Kyo’s nose wrinkled though he picked up one, giving the person a piece before putting it into the canvas bag he had. 

“They’re good!” 

“Bleh! Do you like pumpkin too?” 

She stuck out her tongue, “Yea I do! You ever had fried pumpkin seeds or pumpkin bread?” 

Kyo cocked a brow, “No.” 

Gwen gawked and punched him lightly in the stomach, “You! That’s impossible!” 

He laughed a bit, shrugging, “I guess maybe I had something like that for Halloween.” 

It was her favorite tradition in the universe and that he hadn’t had it on a cool autumn night? She tossed up her chin, ‘hmphing’, “Well, that’s why we’re married then. I’ll make it when it’s Fall.” 

“Sounds great” he snickered, wrapping his arm around her waist, walking towards the, _ugh_ , meats. 

Stopping, glaring, she muttered, “Kyo, if you want me to _stay_ an omnivore, you will not take me to that place _._ ” 

He chuckled and kissed her behind her ear, “Fine, go get your paper. I’ll get the meat.” 

Nodding swiftly, she escaped into the store and bought a pack of loose leaf along with some notebooks and pens. Huh, this was weird, them shopping together. Walking back, she found Kyo with the fish and vegetables, waiting outside for her. It felt really kind of ‘green’, she thought. Or actually, kind of all-together different. Everything was fresh, something that California had lacked, at least in the parts she’d lived. 

He reached out and she blushed, pouting, shyly taking his hand. Ugh, must he insist? He chuckled at her petulant look, “It’s weird that I’m the one that likes holding hands here. Did you hold hands with Asshole Super Blond?” 

“Of course I did” she stated grumpily, “But I was a stupid ditzy little girl walking around malls with my boyfriend. This is different.” 

“Yea, we can drink now.” 

Gwen cocked a brow and stared at him, puzzled, “What?” 

“I don’t know, I couldn’t think of anything to counter why this is way better.” 

She smirked and he just sighed, “Well, whatever, if you don’t like it, we don't have to.” 

“I didn’t say that. I’m just not really used to it anymore” she sighed as well. 

Kyo chuckled, “I guess so since you’ve hated men and relationships for the last five years.” 

Glowering at him, she inhaled softly when they entered the bakery. Mm, fresh bread. Kyo looked around absently for a moment before smiling wistfully. “This place reminds me of my mama.” 

She glanced to him, startled, “Why’s that?” 

“I never actually really know why” he cocked a brow, “Something about bread and cakes and cookies.” 

Gwen frowned but he chuckled, ordering some fresh bread before seeming content, “I think we have enough for a good healthy meal. Unless you want to get some wine.” 

A rather odd fancy palate came to her, ‘mm’ing as she imagined the pesto and tomato basil pasta with a nice Zinfandel. Asking if he could get that, he blinked. “Sounds like a fantasy anime character.” 

“Baka!” 

He laughed and went into a winery, purchasing it without complaint. Gwen blinked when they got home, Kyo immediately going to work cooking but putting the wine in a basket. She frowned as she sat, going back to her homework, and wondering how on Earth the Yagami family existed. The men all together seemed like they could cook circles around anyone. Sure, the women did cook but it seemed like the men actually _preferred_ to. 

Not only that, the words Kyo spoke when they first met couldn’t really be truer, the couples, they were _equal_. And, in fact, the imbalance, if it did exist, leaned more towards the men, her cousin being her primary thought pattern with that. Carrie was off doing things in other countries while Kurt was ‘mom and dad’. 

It was kind of refreshing, to say the least. Families could learn a thing or two from them, she thought. Why follow all the traditional values of a mother that did everything or play the nontraditional role and have the father do so? What was wrong with both intertwined? 

Gwen blinked when Kyo returned with a smile and a picnic basket. She blushed as he pulled her up, commenting, “C’mon, I have a surprise for you.” 

“What?” 

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise!” 

Scowling a bit, she wondered why it was the men seemed almost so perfect? Like they were living fantasy men characters, everything a woman wanted but complained didn’t exist. But she supposed Kyo hadn’t completely swept her off her feet yet like those cheesy romance novels entailed. 

Cocking a brow when they walked onto his dad’s land, the man hummed as he took carrots from the field. Gwen glowered. “Don’t steal your dad’s vegetables!” 

He laughed and winked, “These are only for a certain purpose.” 

Confused, she followed him as they headed across the vast grasslands with multiple horses grazing and he whistled suddenly, clicking his tongue. She gasped as a beautiful palomino horse trotted over towards them. Kyo grinned as the horse came to a stop before him, stroking the animal’s long nose, “Hey, girl. You miss me, baby?” 

It gave a neigh and he chuckled, “This is my lady-horse, Yuri.” 

Gwen loved horses. She participated in horsing events competitively when she was younger before her mother informed her that cheerleading would give her ‘more opportunities’. 'Yea, to be a whore', she thought bitterly. But no, that wasn’t cheerleading’s fault, was it? 

Shaking off her gloomy digressions, she felt fearful, “She won’t be scared if I pet her, will she?” 

“Nah, she’s a sweetie” Kyo reassured, feeding the horse one of the carrots. 

Gwen shyly pet the animal, the coat smooth, healthy, gorgeous, “She’s actually a cremello, right?” 

“Yea, those eyes” he smiled lovingly, addressing the horse’s blue eyes, “My dad let us pick out horses when we were younger, his kids and all the nieces and nephews. When I saw her as a foal, I knew I wanted her.” 

Gwen glanced at him, surprised. She guessed Kyo was an animal lover, maybe? When they went to her parent’s house for the second stint, he fell even more in love with Mimzy and Kiwi, the two actually sleeping on either side of him when he went to bed, content. Her parents kind of just humored her when she wanted pets but they weren’t all that fond of them. 

She was kind of happy, honestly. 

Kyo nuzzled her nose, handing Gwen the carrots as he wandered into the barn. She timidly held the carrot out to the horse who ate it gratefully. She glanced over her shoulder as Kyo returned with a saddle. Throwing it over the horse’s back carefully, he hooked everything before strapping the basket to the side tightly. 

Gasping as he picked her up and placed her on the animal’s back, he swung himself on as well, smiling, “Hold on, Yuri gets a little spirited when we ride.” 

She started to snort, ready to inform him that she knew how to ride a horse but was pretty alarmed when they started off like a rocket. Hugging his back, she gritted her teeth against the wind. Holy crap, Yuri would make an awesome race horse. 

Kyo laughed as they slowed, in a meadow now near the mountains, pulling the animal to a stop, “See? My baby loves running.” 

“I noticed” she said, groaning as she had to take a moment and rest against his back. 

Grinning, unrepentant, he waited a moment before jumping down and setting her on her feet before grabbing the basket, putting the striped blanket on the ground. Gwen blushed as he set everything out rather elegantly and waved her to sit. 

“So how is our first date going?” he questioned, lying down on his belly, eating the pasta. 

She stared at him, startled, “This is a date?” 

“Yes, silly” he snickered, sipping the wine, “I know you’re probably used to Blake or whoever taking you to expensive restaurants--” 

“No!” she blurted, scowling, “I…I just didn’t really think about it. It’s…it’s still rather awkward that we’re…y’know.” 

Kyo mm’d, his brows quirking in agreement behind the wine glass, and Gwen picked at the food, pouting, “Jeez, now you’ve made it feel weird! I thought we were just having dinner outside!” 

He laughed, eating a grape, “They both work, lady.” 

She snorted and they chatted, bantering for a little while as they ate, before she sighed, lying on her back as the stars finally started popping out in the summer night. Rubbing her belly, she grumbled. “I’m trying to lose weight, you. Stop making food.” 

Kyo rolled his eyes as he tilted his head towards her, “No, because if I did, you’d be stick effin’ thin. I thought you'd be against conforming to that sort of thing anyway. ” 

She grunted, “I am! But I still don't want to gain weight and inconvenience Michelle. She already had our dresses made.” 

“Mm. You'll be perfectly fine, I'm sure” he yawned before he turned over on his side, staring at her, “Gwen, um, I was thinking about…sex.” 

Her eyes narrowed and he quickly added, “Uh! Not about _having_ it at this moment but, y’know, kind of taking it slow with it.” 

The look that crossed Gwen’s face changed a lot and she felt confused, “You don’t want to have sex?” 

“Now that’d be a lie straight out of hell” he said dryly, “I just think we jumped the gun a bit with the sex before, well, an actual relationship.” 

She turned over on her side as well, looking thoughtful, “You really would want to do that? Like, gain more insight on our relationship rather than screw around right off the bat?” 

He nodded, closing his eyes, “I mean, let’s face it: two, three years ago, us even trying this would just be…” 

“It just wasn’t going to happen” she snickered, sighing. 

Nodding again, he played with a piece of her hair, “I just don’t want us to mess this up, I guess. I know it’s just us _trying_ it for a bit, I just don’t want it to be wrecked right off the bat.” 

Gwen seemed thoughtful before she blushed heavily, pursing her lips as she glanced away from him, “Can I say I’m kind of inclined to disagree?” 

“You can but I’d be inclined to say it’d be the most ironic thing ever.” 

She kneed him, sticking out her tongue, “Our relationship _will_ become sexual and I think we’ve bonded enough where it wouldn’t wreck too much to have relations. But I’m okay with it not being really common right away.” 

Kyo sighed, “It’s up to you, honestly. I just thought you’d be comfortable with that more so than…yea. I’m up for anything as long as you’re okay with it.” 

She felt sheepish as she scooted towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his chest, closing her eyes. He stared at her before wrapping his arm around her, tilting his head. “What are you thinking?” 

“You’re old.” 

He leered, “I’m _sorry_ that you married a guy eight, sometimes nine years older than you.” 

“I’m joking” she murmured, kissing him for the first time. 

His cheeks got kind of warm but he rested his head on top of hers as they stared up at the moon and the stars. 

…Then again. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Darlings!” 

Gwen and trio waved happily as they rushed towards Michelle who was wearing a huge pair of sunglasses and a white sundress, Roy beside her looking rather dapper in a white shirt tucked into a light khaki pair of slacks, his blue black hair waving in the Hawaiian winds. 

Gwen cocked a brow at him after she exchanged hugs with Michelle, “Um, wow?” 

Roy cocked a brow as well before he ‘oh’d’ and snickered, “Oh yea, I decided to stop bleaching my hair. This is my natural color.” 

Gwen blanked, “Wow, I didn’t know that. You’re not Californian!” 

“Nah” he grinned. 

Michelle frowned suddenly, “Where’s your husband, Gwenny?” 

Gwen blinked and opened her mouth to say 'behind her' before discovering, indeed, Kyo wasn’t anywhere near her. She glared back and noticed he’d pretty much run off to look around. She rolled her eyes. “He’s a little kid.” 

Roy chuckled, “It is pretty intense here. I haven’t been since I was little.” 

“When was that?” teased Rachel, hitting his arm. 

He stuck out his tongue and Gwen smiled before gasping as Kyo suddenly appeared, wrapping his arm around her waist, “Hey, folks.” 

“You always seem jumpy when he does that, Gwen” observed Roy with a raised brow. 

Kyo just grinned, “I’m from Japan, we're ninjas.” 

Gwen snorted and Roy laughed, “Oh yea, I forgot.” 

“So I’m sure you guys are exhausted” waved Michelle, “Let me take you to the hotel so you can rest then tonight we can go out. Sound good?” 

They all agreed and Gwen blushed when, well, _understandably,_ Kyo and her were in the same room. Kyo yawned, dropping their bags, and stretched, walking over to the balcony, whistling, “Jeez man, they even got us all rooms facing the ocean. This is incredible.” 

She walked over beside him softly before gasping as he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing the back of her head. Gwen blushed and started to open her mouth to say 'no'. Instead, he yawned and grinned, leaning around to press his lips against her cheek then walking towards the bed, falling backwards. She blinked at him and smirked. 

“You’re the weirdest man I’ve ever met, Yagami.” 

He laughed, “We’re here for a week, Gwen, I’m not going to push.” 

Blushing, she walked over to the bed and sank down beside him, snuggling into his side before closing her eyes, “I hope Blake’s not an ass.” 

“Right.” 

She scowled, “He might have learned!” 

“And I’m Batman?” 

She glared at him as he looked irritated, “What?” 

“You just talk about him a lot” he mumbled, “Some times it feels like I’m just out to beat his memory.” 

Gwen rolled his eyes, “Kyo, you beat Blake out years before we even started as a romantic couple.” 

He seemed content with that before sighing, “But sometimes it doesn’t feel like it. Like now. You have so much faith in a guy that told you that stuff he told you that made me want to break his face.” 

Gwen sighed, shaking her head, “I don’t know. Maybe I’m too soft. Even if I don’t love him, we were, well, at least _friends_ for all those years. I want to believe that he can be okay but maybe I’m just crazy.” 

He stroked her hair, shaking his head, “Not at all. Maybe he has.” 

Gwen yawned and fell asleep in his arms. Maybe she should stop mentioning Blake so much. But really, it wasn’t that she was even comparing him and Kyo, she just wanted everything to be okay. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

_Push me_

_And then just touch me_

_Until I can get my Satisfaction_

“Oh my God, this beat is sick” Kyo commented, his eyes wide as they were in a club. 

Shelly laughed, having downed her customary Sex on the Beach, and grabbed his arm, “Dance with me!” 

Gwen cocked a brow as the two went out on the dance floor, grinding against each other, Kyo thrusting with Shelly returning the motion. _Push, push, push, push, push, push, push, push._ If she didn’t know Shelly or Kyo better she might have gotten a tad jealous. 

Watching Kyo turn Shelly around and press his pelvis against her ass, both of them gyrating against each other, Kyo running his hand down her thigh, she felt her eyes narrow. Never mind. 

Bobby, Shelly’s boyfriend, leered deeply and Michelle laughed, drinking a virgin pina colada before standing, going to join them, “You two! They wouldn’t have jumped on dancing with each other if you’d dance! So get out there and stop glaring!” 

Gwen frowned and scowled at Kyo who looked up momentarily before winking at her, using his free arm to wiggle his finger, beckoning her. Bobby rested his chin in his raised palm, cocking a brow. 

“Your husband’s kind of intimidating!” he yelled over the dim. 

“Kyo?! Not at all!” refuted Gwen. 

“I mean, like confidence wise! He doesn’t seem all that fazed by anything! I think I read Japanese culture’s more conservative but…!” 

Gwen honestly found all of Kyo’s relatives like that, especially his brother after he got married and _definitely_ Carrie, Roomi, and like, all of his uncles. But eh. Gwen sighed, standing, feeling awkward in the skin tight skirt and halter but that’s what friends were for: dressing you up. Bobby stood and glared, following her and she gasped when he grabbed her hips. 

“What the f—k are you doing?” she demanded rather plainly. 

“Sheesh, have you forgotten how to lure?” 

  
Gwen started to scowl at him but glared at Kyo who was staring at her over Shelly’s head, his brow tweaked. Idiot, she thought with a grunt, pressing against Bobby, writhing her hips against him, reaching back and grasping his shoulder. Kyo’s eyes did narrow a bit. Alas, Shelly snickered as the song started to remix into another. “You guys are a riot! We’re just dancing! But before you kill me, Ms. Possessive, take your man back!” 

Gwen pouted at her extroverted friend and Bobby snorted as Shelly grabbed him to take over Kyo's position. Kyo crossed his arms, giving her a look which she returned. 

“Jealous much?” 

“You?” she retorted. 

Sticking out his tongue, he wrapped his arm around her hip, “Fine, a little. Show _me_ those moves.” 

She flushed but closed her eyes partially, sliding between his leg and rushing her hips to the rhythm. God, if Tomei-sensei knew. 

_I see your dirty face hide behind your collar_

_What is done in vain; truth is hard to swallow_

_So you pray to God to justify the way you live a lie_

_Live a lie_

_Live a lie_

_And you take your time_

_And you do your crime_

_Where you made your bed, I made mine!_

_Because when I arrive_

_I, I bring the fire_

_Make you come alive_

_I can take you higher_

She was surrounded by her friends crushing against their individual partner and hundreds of other hot bodies pounding to a trance beat. It spat of indoctrination, all the women dressed in so little, the men aroused by the whole thing. A sweat pit of degradation, she laughed dizzily. That’s what Tomei-sensei would say. But the raw feel of perspiring bodies was sexual, tense, exciting, base. 

Kyo’s brows rose and he stared at her kind of weirdly, “Uh, wow. You okay, baby?” 

“Am I?” she said, dazed. 

“Uh, what?” 

“Am I your baby?” she questioned sultrily, riding against the rapidly hardening lump in his pants. 

His breath felt hot as she pressed her face into his neck, his voice whispering into her ear, “I think so. At least, I hope so.” 

Her pulse was racing as he grasped her thighs, pulling her even more flush against him as he drove his crotch against her. It was maddening, she thought rapidly. She’d thought maybe Kyo had made some sense when he said they should wait to have sex after pondering over it. But now? 

She hungrily kissed him, driving her tongue into his mouth, his tongue meeting hers with matching intensity, an invitation. He moaned into her mouth, parting hard, and swallowed, rasping. “F—k…” 

Drunken on adrenaline, his dark eyes pierced through her, _penetrating,_ before he grabbed her hand, pushing outside rather hectically. 

She groaned as he kissed her neck, bracing her against the side of the building, his hands dancing up the bare flesh of her legs. She wanted to scream, she thought groggily. She didn’t even remember who what’s-her-face-sensei was or why this was possibly wrong. 

“Kyo” she whined, running her fingers though his hair as he sucked at her neck ravenously. 

“My, how promiscuous.” 

Why the hell did people _always_ interrupt?! 

Kyo stopped his administrations quickly and pulled away, his hair messy now, both of them glowing with sweat, wide-eyed. Gwen couldn’t really believe her eyes either even though she knew. Blake _a_ _nd_ Lacey. 

Blake looked pretty irate, just easily proving that he hadn’t changed like she’d hoped. Lacey almost seemed amused. Kyo visibly swallowed, his eyes narrowing at Blake and Gwen cleared her throat, straightening her skirt before reaching out to redo Kyo’s hair. 

“Hi, guys. Everyone is inside” she informed them once she was satisfied most of the pieces that would lie flat were back in place. 

“I don’t know, seems the party’s out here” remarked Lacey, smiling brightly. 

Gwen almost leered but Kyo returned the smile, “It just got a little hot in there. We’re going back in.” 

She was grateful when he gave them enough exit to escape Blake’s glare. He was so scary sometimes. Reentering the club, she scowled when Shelly and the girls laughed, Marissa clucking her tongue. 

“So bad! And look, you even got a hickey!” 

Gwen groaned. Kyo smirked and sighed, “Unfortunately we got interrupted!” 

They looked ready to ask why they stopped but Blake and Lacey sauntering up probably answered that question. Michelle smiled quickly. “Hi, Lacey. How’s it been?” 

Gwen expected that usual snide haughtiness but the girl actually seemed rather sincere? “It’s been good, actually! I’ve been trying to get accepted into a law firm lately as an intern.” 

Shelly blinked, “Wow, your mom isn’t letting you into her firm?” 

Another surprise, she suddenly looked apprehensive, “Well, she did but even I have to say it felt kind of cheap. I wanted to get into everything myself and on my own. I’ve even been interviewing in places where she doesn’t have much power.” 

“Wow, that’s cool” said Rachael, startled. 

“And, uh, what about you, man?” questioned Trey, Rachael’s beau, to Blake. 

He shrugged stiffly, “Nothing much.” 

Kyo and Gwen exchanged a look. So Laceyaccomplished what they wanted Blake to? Ugh. Sitting, they all ordered drinks, except Michelle, and Gwen breathed in, sighing. Kyo glanced at her and smiled some, drinking that green Dirty Bong Water. 

“Didn’t that stuff nearly kill us last time?” she remarked. 

“I can’t hate on booze that tastes like candy, lady” Kyo grinned. 

“Hey, hey, none of that. Some of us aren’t bilingual” Shelly shook her fist as they'd accidentally reverted to Japanese. 

Kyo laughed, “My bad, reflex.” 

Blake’s eyes narrowed and Gwen rolled her eyes a bit. Ugh, again, things were going so great. 

“So Marissa, where’s your man?” questioned Michelle, drinking juice. 

The brunette smirked, lifting her Bloody Mary to her lips, “Maybe I’m a lesbian, Michelle, how about that?” 

“Really? When you liked men? _I’ll_ fix that” Kyo said simply. 

Marissa laughed, tossing the paper coaster at him, “You’re so bad! But really, I haven’t dated in a while. I think my psychoanalysis intimidates men.” 

“No kidding” snickered Shelly, “Men don’t want their brains to be stroked, woman, they have other parts for that.” 

Bobby just kind of shook his head, staring at her, “Shell, do you see us being together for a long time in the future?” 

“Sure?” 

“I mean, you know, kids and the deal?” 

“I guess?” 

Gwen couldn’t help laugh, “Shelly and kids?” 

Rachael cocked a brow, “I don’t know, that’s a little _too_ scary.” 

“Whatever, bimbos! My kids would be amazing” she said haughtily. 

Michelle grinned, “I know we’ve known each other forever, girl, but your kids couldn’t hang out with mine. They might pick up some unsavory language.” 

“Hey! I’d _totally_ censor myself around my kids!” 

Bobby laughed at that and she punched him in the shoulder, “Shut your mouth, bitch!” 

Gwen smirked, shaking her head, and Kyo snickered, “Well, they’ll definitely have character.” 

“So how about you two?” questioned Lacey randomly to Gwen and Kyo, “Any babies?” 

“Nah, we already discussed this” Shelly said simply, glowering. 

Gwen snickered, “I’m not having any and Shelly apparently won’t allow me to either way.” 

“Not having any?” frowned Lacey, shaking her head, “You mean you _still_ don’t want any?” 

Gwen shook her head and Blake, mister silent and broody, finally commented, “I don’t remember it like that.” 

“I don’t know why” she muttered, “I had that mantra the whole time we were dating.” 

“You wanted our baby.” 

A kind of silence fell as the room below where they were sitting pulsed from the music. Gwen felt herself nearly go into shock. No he hadn’t. 

Shelly cocked a brow, “What are you talking about?” 

“Um--!” Marissa blurted, seeming to note that Gwen was trembling, “I’m sure it’s not that important!” 

Blake just smiled darkly, “Oh, so you only told Marissa, huh?” 

Gwen dropped her head, biting her lip. They _promised_ they’d never ever even bring it up again. How dare he? 

Oh, he dared. “When we were in Junior year, I believe, Gwen and I had a little incident. For whatever reason, something went wrong and she thought she was pregnant. Remember, Gwen?” 

Never in her entire existence did she want the floor to swallow her up more than in that second. 

Shelly gawked, “What! Gwen, my God, you didn’t tell us?” 

“I was embarrassed” she whispered, her cheeks blazing with anger and humiliation, “I…” 

“But she was excited then” snorted Blake. 

“I was not!” she yelled, wanting to kill him, “How-how could you?! It was supposed to be our secret!” 

“Marissa knows.” 

“Marissa was _there_ when I started to freak out about it!” 

Michelle tapped her fingernails, leering, “So what happened?” 

Gwen swallowed, “It-it was a false alarm. I-I wasn’t pregnant or anything, just overstressed or something…” 

Michelle, Rachel, and Shelly were silent. She didn’t _mean_ to leave them out, it just was she found out she wasn’t. She wasn’t going to tell them unless she actually _was_. But of course they’d be angry though. She’d forgotten about this, hadn’t she? She’d forgotten and pushed it back, thinking that it was just their secret: hers, Blake’s, and Marissa’s. But… 

She gasped as Kyo’s arm reached around her shoulder and he kissed her temple. And oh God, what did he think!? Why did she care what he thought though!? Ah! 

“I’m sure Gwen had her reasons, ladies, don’t be upset with her. Maybe she was protecting her boyfriend.” 

Blake’s eyes widened and Shelly crossed her arms, glaring at him, “True enough, I would have capped his dick ass.” 

Michelle still looked sad, “But it’s not fair! You never seem to trust us with anything, Gwen!” 

“But everything with Marissa” pouted Rachel glumly. 

Gwen felt sad, “That’s not true! L-like I said, I was _so_ embarrassed, it was ridiculous and-and, hell, no offense to Marissa but if she hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have told her either! I didn’t want any of you to think I was a…” 

Shelly sighed, rolling her eyes, “Gwen, it happens, okay? We all make mistakes and I know _I_ wouldn’t think anything bad of you. I would have chastised the hell out of you for nearly slipping up but I would have never called you anything.” 

Gwen just nodded sadly and Michelle suddenly clapped, “Now, let’s not get all mopey over something that happened a billion years ago, okay? We’re here to party!” 

Forcing a smile, she nodded and Blake just kind of rolled his eyes. Lacey, who’d been shockingly quiet throughout this tale, grabbed his arm, convincing him to dance. Gwen wasn’t sure she wanted to even stay in Hawaii anymore, let alone dance. 

Kyo was quiet before mumbling, “So you would have had a kid with him?” 

“Does that bother you?” she rasped. 

“…A little. Just because it would have meant I never would have met you.” 

She looked at him sadly, “Is that a bad thing?” 

He kissed her warmly, “Yea.” 

Grimacing, she snuggled into his side, feeling utterly drained suddenly. The night had been going so well but leave it to Blake. 

The rest of the trip though, she thought hopefully as Kyo absently stroked her shoulder. The rest of the trip would be great. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“What?” 

Kyo was lying on the couch, shrugging, as she put on earrings, “I think I should stay here, especially if all your crews’ parents show up. I’ll just be out of place.” 

Gwen scowled and sat in front of him, clicking the television off and looking at him crossly, “You are my effin’ husband. And as cliché as it is, if I have to suffer, you’re suffering with me.” 

He pouted and sighed, sitting up, “Look, I really, really don’t like your ex-boyfriend, okay? Now, if he outs any of your deep dark secrets today, call me and I’ll come knock him senseless but I just don’t have a good vibe about going.” 

“But you _have_ to” she grumbled, giving him what she hoped was a pleading look. 

Kyo just stared at her before sighing, standing, “Fine…” 

“It’ll be fine” she insisted with a shrug before walking over to him, stroking his hair back, “Um, anyway, about this honeymoon…” 

He chuckled, kissing her forehead, “Someone was out like a light last night. I was still aroused from the alley make-out.” 

Gwen flustered, shoving him embarrassedly, “I was also absolutely freaked out that I almost lost my friends, thank you!” 

“Your friends aren’t that shallow” he shook his head before kissing her lips chastely, “We’ll have our ‘honeymoon’ after dinner. What do you say?” 

Blushing, closing her eyes, she nodded sheepishly and he chuckled again, taking her hand, “Come on, let’s get this over with.” 

“It’s just dinner” Gwen rolled her eyes, sighing, “What could possibly happen?” 

“In my family, we try not to ask that question.” 

She cocked a brow at him but waved it off. He was being ridiculous. 

The restaurant was by the ocean and Kyo looked ultimately pretty excited about that. She had to clench his arm to keep him from dashing off. 

She breathed in sharply as they entered the nice restaurant that Michelle’s parents had rented out for this little meeting before the wedding. Shelly was sitting by a rather disgruntled looking Michelle, Rachel also nearby, her arms crossed as she looked confused. Marissa was sitting nearby too, looking apprehensive. Swallowing, unsure if she should try to perpetrate the circle after what happened, she jumped when Kyo gave her a little push. 

Glancing back at him, he smiled and continued to guide her over. She bit her lip. She hated Blake so much. He was ruining everything again. 

Shelly looked up and pressed her lips together, pouty, “Well if it isn’t Ms. Secret!” 

Gwen frowned, “ _Shell_!” 

The dirty golden brown blonde waved a hand, rolling around her blue eyes, “I’m _kidding_ , Gwen. It’s okay. But I know one thing, if you get knocked up, I better effin’ know!” 

“What if she’s living on an archaic island in the middle of nowhere?” questioned Kyo randomly. 

Gwen cocked a brow and Shelly laughed, her brow raising too, “I don’t know, signal fires?” 

Rachel’s confused look turned to amusement, “Then you’d have to become fluent in signal fires, Shelly.” 

“And have beyond twenty-twenty vision” smirked Marissa. 

Shelly stuck out her tongue, “Fine, but I’d at least want a message in a bottle.” 

Kyo laughed, “Done.” 

Gwen smirked, “Anyway, what’s up?” 

Michelle looked irritated, “I don’t know. I think my mom’s done something crazy.” 

Patricia Yates, Michelle’s mother, was, well, in general, just that: crazy. The woman was driven by one thing and that was money. Oh no, she wasn’t stingy, not in the least, if the fact that she paid for her entire daughter’s wedding meant anything and that the wedding was in Hawaii with every guest having sea side rooms. No, it was just that she’d do anything _for_ money. Anything. And Michelle didn’t say it had anything to do with money but hell, Gwen knew something that upped her margin was involved already, just from Michelle’s words. 

“What’s that?” questioned Kyo. 

“She uninvited Lacey” she muttered. 

Gwen’s brows creased and Kyo frowned, shaking his head, “ ‘Uninvited’? Can she do that? What’d she do?” 

Michelle kneaded her hands, “That’s just it, Lacey, for _once_ since I've known her, didn’t do a thing! She-she was actually being extremely and actually sincerely pleasant and what does my mother do? Go throw her out!” 

“What does Boy Wonder have to say about that?” questioned Kyo dryly. 

Gwen shot him a look and Michelle glanced at the others suddenly, surprised, “Actually, now that you mention it, I haven’t seen Blake since last night.” 

Gwen opened her mouth to say that maybe he was just hungover or didn’t know anything about this. Kyo’d probably say there she goes again, sticking up for him. She wasn’t but… 

The comment was interrupted when the doors opened loudly and everyone in the room looked up. Gwen grimaced and wondered if Kyo was psychic. She forgot about a _particular_ parent. 

Billy Graves. 

The man’s blond hair was greased back, wearing dark shades and a sleazy grin, appearing like that of a stereotyped cliché used cars salesman, wearing a pink blazer over a white shirt and a pair of khakis that overall gave a weird mismatching effect. His son was beside him, that s—t eating grin she knew well stretched across his face. Billy himself was laughing about something uproariously. 

She was with Blake for six years. Blake had a mother and father and, well, so did all of mankind. But Blake had a mother who had a drinking problem beyond any she’d ever seen. The most drunken of celebrities would probably look at her and say, ‘lady, you need to take it easy’. In and out of rehab for most of those years, whenever Gwen happened to stay over, she heard the woman either A, drink and cry herself to sleep, or B, let herself get f—ked by her husband’s ‘business partners’. 

The man watched like some sick voyeur, as if watching his wife get gang-banged by the men he went golfing with on Friday afternoons was the most erotic thing ever. She never batted an eye, would smile afterwards probably before taking a long bath and smoothing off a bottle of vodka before crying herself to sleep, reminding herself of how she used to be a beautiful supermodel. Gwen was only aware this happened because she accidentally walked in one day, thinking the woman was suffering. She probably wasn't wrong. 

Oh, and Billy Graves. Billy Graves, ‘father’, he made her a feminist long before she was a feminist. ‘Politically correct’ was not in his vocabulary, apparently. When Blake told him rather absently that her mother was Asian, he had such a field day, it just made her _sick._ ‘My son got himself an _exotic_ woman, you know?’, ‘Her father, that ol’ bastard Lane. I knew he was a kinky motherf—ker, sleeping with an _exotic_ woman’. 

Oh, oh, wait! Those weren’t even the best ones! ‘I think my son was right to get himself a woman with a little Asian blood. You know they’re more obedient. I think our women lack that subservient attitude, don’t you?’. ‘Haha, maybe I’ll look for one myself. Or hell, maybe I’ll go for a round with her. Have to ask Blake about it though’. Laughter. 

Her nostrils flared as she glared hatefully at that _scum_. She put up with that s—t for _six_ years. She’d never wanted to punch someone’s face in so bad. _Never_ had she wanted to punch someone’s face in so bad _still_. Clenching her hand in the other and her teeth, she shook. Damn it, why didn’t she listen to Kyo? 

She inhaled sharply when Kyo wrapped his arm around her waist, looking concerned with a marked frown, “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” 

“N-nothing! I…I just felt a draft” she mumbled. 

“Oh my God, _shut up._ Draft my ass” Shelly grunted, looking irritably back at Billy, “That guy was a certified licensed _dick_ to her for freakin’ _ever_ , Kyo. And I mean _licensed_ dick. You can’t get to that level of dickery unless you were qualified in it.” 

Marissa growled as well, “No kidding! It wasn’t right at all and I couldn’t stand that Blake let him talk to you like that.” 

“We couldn’t even talk back to him either” muttered Rachel, “Our mother’s had hot fits because insulting Billy Graves? That was like a felony!” 

“Hell if I cared” snorted Shelly hotly, “I told that man _exactly_ what I thought.” 

Gwen couldn’t help but smirk, indeed remembering Shelly saying some pretty crude things to the bastard which gave Cindy Calford, her mother, an absolute heart attack. 

Kyo cooed, hugging Shelly’s shoulder, “Aww, that’s why I love you, Shelly. If I ever get into a bar fight, I want you there with me.” 

“Hells yes, we’d kick some ass!” 

Gwen smirked more, cocking a brow, and Bobby snickered, showing up for the last portion of the conversation, “You know, I've never thought about it but it’s very true.” 

Shelly skipped to him, sliding under his arm and kissing him, “Aww, you wouldn’t even have to fight, baby, I’d protect you!” 

Bobby smirked at her and Kyo chuckled, still holding Gwen’s waist, “I can see that too. Would you protect _me,_ Gwen?” 

Gwen patted his chest, “Nope.” 

“Jeez!” 

“Don’t worry, if you need me to throw a few punches, I’m all for it.” 

Kyo grinned, “Awesome.” 

Michelle snickered, “I _hate_ to interrupt the barfight conversation but--” 

“You have some nerve, boy. Don’t they teach you not to touch what’s not yours in your country?” 

Gwen froze and Kyo’s eyebrows dropped as he glanced at the man. Billy. 

“ _Excuse_ me?” 

Blake was standing nearby, his arms crossed as he glared at them evenly, his father giving them a similar look, “You heard me, boy.” 

“I’m 31, I’d appreciate if you don’t call me ‘boy’” remarked Kyo coolly. 

“ _Wait_ a minute, _what_?” demanded Shelly, interrupting, “31 _what_?” 

Gwen rolled her eyes around, feeling her pulse racing just because this man was nearby and seemingly up to his old antics, “Years?” 

“31 years old, huh? Don’t you think you’re a little old for her?” 

Kyo just kind of stared at him, “I’m sorry, are you her father?” 

“Don’t get smart” snarled Billy, “You’re just getting in the way of my son.” 

“How? Is Gwen fighting to be with him?” Kyo remarked simply, “Gwen’s chosen to be with me. So the only thing ‘in the way’ is your son’s denial.” 

He got that look she knew well, that he was being, if this was a long time ago, ‘sassed’. And oh, not by a good all-American boy but Yagami Kyo. His face blustered and he hissed. “Stick to your own _kind_ and leave our girls alone, _Jap,_ you don’t have _anything_ to offer her except what do you chinks own? Rice fields?” 

Blake once got teased at school, pretty much by his own provocation, by a Senior football player. She’d laughed at him, told him to fight it out. And huh, almost same thing, except this time, she was the one that slung her arm back and punched that _dick_ straight in the nose. 

Everyone in the room gasped _loudly_ and Gwen started to hit the man again. It alarmed her how angry she was, how absolutely _infuriated_ she was. She was irate because this bastard had the nerve to talk to her husband that way. How dare he? 

Gwen wasn’t the protective type. If men thought themselves so inherently stronger then go ahead, protect themselves. But hell no was she letting this son of a bitch talk to _her_ husband like that! 

Seething, her body pulsing, she hissed and screamed under clenched teeth as _Kyo_ had the nerve to hold her back, from advancing, from regaining his honor and some of her own from the past when she hadn’t had the nerve to, when she’d been the good little 'subservient' girl. 

“Let _go_! I’ll kill him!!” she yelled, kicking as Kyo held her around the waist. 

“Gwen!” he rasped, holding her tightly, stroking her hair away from her ear as he whispered, “Baby, it’s-it’s okay, shh.” 

Blake rushed over, holding his father’s arm as the man clenched his nose, “You little--” 

Gwen’s mother, _naturally_ , had to be there and rushed up beside Billy, looking horribly alarmed, Michelle’s mother beside her with her wide framed glasses on, looking irritated. 

“Billy, darling! What happened?” 

“Why, Gwen’s little husband here’s got quite the temper.” 

… _What_? 

Patricia pressed a napkin to his nose, the man continuing, looking so mock-concerned, “I don’t think he’s learned _proper_ manners. I’m not sure I’d want him at my child’s wedding.” 

“Good heavens, I agree!” Patricia added haughtily. 

“ _Mother_!” snapped Michelle, who’d been dumbfounded with the rest of the nearby crowd, “Kyo is _my_ guest and he did _not_ hit him!” 

Patricia looked at her daughter heatedly, “Oh? Then who did?” 

She opened her mouth but suddenly faltered. Leave it to Shelly though, she waltzed up, cracking her knuckles, “I didn’t but if I have the opportunity--” 

Bobby quickly grabbed her and Gwen gritted her teeth, about to declare that she’d done it. Kyo suddenly gripped her shoulder. She glared at him but he gave her a look. Don't say anything. 

“I won’t have a guest that attacks people at your wedding, Michelle!” snapped Patricia before glaring at Kyo, “Who are you anyway? Do I know any of your relatives?!” 

Did it matter? But hell, Kyo could name off a dozen, it’d be perfect for that bitch! 

“…Nope.” 

Gwen stiffened and Patricia looked highly unimpressed, “I don’t know how they behave where you live but this is _polite_ society.” 

Gwen wondered if Michelle would forgive her if she knocked her mom’s lights out. 

“Mother!” yelped Michelle. 

“I don’t _want_ him here, Michelle. Not at the wedding _or_ at the hotel _I'm_ paying for. Gwen’s husband or not, he is not _on_ this level. Frankly, I can’t believe you let your daughter marry just _anyone_ , Kano!” 

Gwen’s mother, her poor pathetic _spineless_ mother, looked ashamed. Gwen wanted everyone to die. Face bright red with rage, her fists clenched so tightly her nails dug into her palms, Gwen hissed, seethed, glared: “If you don’t want Kyo here then you don’t want _me_ here either!” 

Kano went pale, “G-Gwen!” 

Ready to scream more, she gasped when Kyo grasped her wrist and turned her around to face him. She glared angrily as he stared so solemnly at her. 

“Stop” he told her in Japanese. _Yamete._

“No!” _Dame!_

He shook his head, tilting his head towards someone. Gwen followed his motion with clenched teeth and found Michelle shivering, her face drenched in tears as she just looked mortified. 

“You’re not herefor _me_ ” he continued, “You’re here for your friend. You’re a part of her wedding.” 

Gwen’s lip trembled as she gazed at him, “But--” 

He shook his head, saying so sweetly it choked her, “It’s alright, okay? I don’t have to be here. You do though, okay? I’m…I’m just your husband.” 

‘Just’? 

“Don’t let him talk you into something _foolish_ ” said Patricia in a disapproving tone. 

Gwen gritted her teeth, clenched her eyes shut, fighting the rampant desire to turn around and knock that bitch’s teeth out. Kyo just smiled at her faintly and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “I’ll see you later, okay? Have fun.” 

‘Fun’? _Fun_? She gaped up at him, distraught, as he pulled away and smiled at Michelle and Roy, who’d appeared later, holding his future wife’s shoulders. “You two have a good wedding. I’m sure it’ll be amazing.” 

Roy looked utterly abashed, “…Thanks man.” 

Nodding, Kyo just walked out. Gwen felt so… _humiliated_. 

Standing there, she could only gape as Patricia sniffed, “Well, now that that’s taken care of, let’s have dinner.” 

There were some murmurs of agreement. Gwen couldn’t even move. 

Abruptly, Shelly shoved over an expensive vase. 

They all jumped and her mother looked appalled, “Shelly!” 

Shelly looked at her icily, “Oh, _I’m_ sorry, we don’t do that in _polite_ society, right? But apparently we’re _racist, spineless, bitchy pigs_. Oh, okay!” 

“ _Shelly_!” 

“If Kyo can’t be here because he's not 'one of us,'” she snarled, stalking out, “Then _fuck_ if I can be either! Go to hell!” 

Bobby grimaced and quickly followed her. Gwen felt close to vomiting and started to rush out too when _Blake_ caught her arm. “Where are you going?” 

“None of your damn business!” she snapped, beyond anger, pulling her arm away from him. 

Billy sniffed and gave her a dark smile, “You should go back to being a good _obedient_ girl, Gwen, it was more befitting.” 

Gwen glared at him with the heat of a thousand suns, “Know what else is going to _be fitting_? My _foot_ up your ass!” 

“Gwen!” yelped Kano, grabbing her. 

Gwen snapped away from her too, “Don’t _touch_ me!” 

Kano trembled, holding her discarded hand, gaping at her daughter as Gwen just rapidly shook her head and rushed out. 

Slamming down on the front steps, finding Kyo long gone, she bit her lip. She wouldn’t cry. This was nothing to cry about. This was something to be absolutely _irate_ about. But… 

“Shelly, damn it, you said you’d stopped.” 

“Shut your hole, Bobby.” 

Gwen looked to the side and grimaced. Shelly was having a cigarette, looking extremely tensed as she took sharp inhales. 

Bobby glanced to her next and winced again, shaking his head, “You okay, Gwen?” 

“Am I okay?” she laughed humorlessly, darkly, “I mean, my husband was just told that he was an impolite poor foreigner and kicked out of not only the wedding but the freakin’ hotel meaning he has to go all the way back to Japan!” 

“F—k” Shelly muttered, glaring deeply, “I know one thing, Gwen, if they insulted my _spouse_ like that, I’d be out of here and Michelle would just have to understand that.” 

Gwen clenched her cheeks, shaking her head, “When he was starting to ‘convince me of something foolish’, he was telling me that-that I wasn’t here for him and that I had to stay for Michelle’s sake.” 

“S—t.” 

Finishing off her cigarette, she dropped the remnant, grinding it out with her foot before stuffing her hands in the pockets of her dark skinny jeans, “I just can’t believe it. I can’t believe that anyone can still act like that. I _hate_ that.” 

Gwen nodded miserably, feeling empty and still, weirdly, humiliated. Why? How could she be? Was it for the same reasons as her mother? That wasn’t her. 

Feeling her lip tremble, she whispered, glancing at her friend hopefully, “You’re not _really_ not going, are you?” 

Shelly glanced at her and sighed, sitting beside her and hugging her shoulders, “No, I guess not.” 

Gwen gasped as arms wrapped around her from behind, resting their chin on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, baby” Marissa glared, “I hate this so much!” 

“Thanks, Mari” mumbled Gwen, closing her eyes. 

Rachel wandered out next, taking her other side, looking frustrated, “Michelle is being a wuss and told me that she’s so, so, so sorry.” 

“It’s okay” she rasped. 

“It is not!” snapped Marissa, “God!” 

She started to pace, the absent annoyed habit of her friend, and Shelly glanced at her before sighing, “This sucks.” 

Indeed. And indeed, Kyo had been right: His family was smart not to ask. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘This beat is sick’ refers to the amazing dance techno DJ song by Benny Benassi, “Satisfaction”.
> 
> “Let It Rock” is the also great song by Kevin Rudolf and Lil’ Wayne.


	13. Lesson Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *See story warnings. Beware of racial insensitivity.

This was ridiculous. 

Gwen, for all extent purposes, _Yagami_ had been ‘strangely’ placed right next to a certain Blake Graves, his father on her side, laughing falsely at something one of Roy’s relatives said. 

She hadn’t heard from Kyo in two days. 

He was angry, she thought as she shifted her chair a centimeter away stealthily only for Blake to slide his chair even closer, trying to put his arm around her. What he didn’t seem to know was that she was two seconds from stabbing his crotch with a shrimp fork. 

Picking up her glass of wine, she drank it in gulps, closing her eyes. Why? This was so _stupid._ Lacey had been kicked out of the wedding because this was a plot. A plot to get her back with Blake. A _stupid_ plot. 

Yesterday, the girls and her just left. She apologized to Michelle later for it but the woman just looked at her, shocked. 

“You’re saying 'sorry' to _me_?” she laughed angrily, “I should be apologizing to _you_! Ugh, where’s Kyo? I have to apologize to him too. Did he get another hotel here?” 

Gwen shrugged awkwardly, “I doubt it. He probably went back to Japan…” 

“ _Ugh_!” Michelle whined, burying her face in her hands, “Damn it!” 

“It’s okay, Michelle” smiled Gwen softly. She started the countdown that minute. Five days. 

Four days now, she hissed to herself as Blake actually _touched_ the shoulder opposite to him. Grabbing his hand hard, she gave him a glare designed for him to realize one thing alone: she’d _murder_ him. 

“Stop _touching_ me” she snapped. 

“Stop being so uptight” he snorted, trying again, “We used to do _a lot_ more.” 

Gwen gritted her teeth, “ _Used_ to. I’m married now so keep your hands off of me.” 

Billy looked at her with a forced smile. He was getting annoyed. Long gone was the timid Gwen that’d laugh nervously at his racist jokes. Oh no, this one would sooner knock his nose in. 

“Come now, Gwen, what on Earth is that boy offering you that my son can’t? The Graves name can offer you more than whatever can.” 

She stared at him for a moment before she smiled darkly, “Yagami. Remember that name because that’s what _mine_ is.” Maybe. 

Billy looked frustrated and Blake just leered at her hotly. Patricia, probably having some nice hefty incentive for breaking her from Kyo to fall back into Blake’s arms, smiled tightly. 

“Please, Gwen, you should think about this. He’s keeping you in Japan, right? All the way from your family and it’s not right! And you won’t have any opportunities there! You might as well come back here. Not to mention Blake will be inheriting the Graves Industry soon so you won’t ever have to worry about money, something I’m sure is concern now.” 

If she could just aim this plate and throw it with enough force, maybe it’d slice that woman’s head off. “Kyo and I live well,” _Bitch_ “We haven’t ever struggled and the only money I use from my parents is for tuition.” So shut your dumb ass face! 

“Tuition” Billy rolled his eyes, “What’s the use of you going to school?” 

Gwen buried her face in her hands, feeling a hard migraine hit her. Why? Why, why, why? 

Why was she _so_ embarrassed? She couldn’t become what she hated again, no! 

“Please,” pleaded Michelle who looked like she just wanted to die, “Leave Gwen alone. Kyo is extremely nice and you guys are pressuring her to do something she just doesn’t want to do for no reason whatsoever.” 

Patricia gave her a look, “Come now, Michelle, girls, wouldn’t you prefer it if your friend was back in California?” 

“I prefer Gwen do what she wants and what makes her happy” muttered Shelly. 

“Whatever” Billy remarked as if it was of no consequence, “She’s over there in that damn place with that nobody. Lane should talk some sense into his daughter.” 

Blake smoothed her hair, smiling, “Come on, it’s better over here. _I’d_ be better.” 

Why? 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the sound of chairs being dragged droned everything out. Gwen frowned as Blake suddenly was shoved directly out of the way and so was Billy, two new chairs placed on either side of her. She absolutely gawked when she saw who the new two people were that joined the party. 

“Heyyy” sang Yagami Jyun rather coquettishly. 

Inaba Carrie, her ‘cousin-in-law’, sat on her other side, “Yo.” 

Everyone there was pretty floored Hollywood actress Inaba Carrie had spontaneously appeared. Well, except for one ‘must have lived under a rock on Mars’ Patricia Yates who glared hotly, “Who are _you_?” 

Jyun’s eyebrows tweaked upward and he laughed incredulously, “Jesus, when’s the last time you’ve heard _that_ , Carrie?” 

She laughed as well, “It’s definitely been a while. It’s rather refreshing, actually.” 

“Mother” hissed Michelle, “That’s Carrie Inaba, you know, the Oscar winning actress Carrie Inaba?” 

The woman recoiled, startled, and Jyun relaxed his arm over Gwen’s shoulder, peering around rather absently, “Sooo which one of you is Billy Graves, hmm?” 

Gwen’s eyes widened and Billy snorted haughtily, “Who’s asking?” 

Jyun’s eyes narrowed and his eyes grew dark, “The _chink’s_ older brother.” 

That seemed to cause some recoil and Carrie looked rather irritated, “Don’t f—king sugarcoat it, Jyun. Who’s the motherf—ker that said it?” 

Billy’s cheeks flustered and Patricia looked irate, “How _dare_ you interrupt my daughter’s dinner!?” 

Jyun and Carrie summarily ignored her. Jyun grunted, handing her a slip of paper, “Anyway, Gwen, here you go.” 

She took the paper from them before glancing between them, cocking a brow, “… _What_ are you guys randomly doing here?” 

“Mm, Jyun looked like he could use a nap so I paid Kikanki to do a shoot over here. Especially after Kyo called and told us what happened” Carrie explained, shrugging. 

Gwen grimaced and Shelly cocked a brow, going on one of her one track mind tangents. “Aren’t you married to, like, a really hot guy? Like, a _really_ hot guy? Do you have a harem?” 

Carrie laughed and Gwen snorted at her friend, “Shelly, Carrie is Kyo and Jyun’s _cousin._ Oh yea, and that really hot guy she’s married to is actually _my_ cousin.” 

“What?!” 

“So you’re…” Patricia said, startled. 

“Well, if the whole _Inaba_ thing isn’t a clue then yes, I am actually Japanese” smiled Carrie darkly. 

The woman flustered and Gwen bit her lip, “Where’s Kyo?” 

“Read the note” advised Jyun. 

“L-look! I don’t care who you two are, it’s _rude_ to interrupt a party you’re not invited to!” scowled Patricia. 

“Oh, I bet you know _all_ about that too. I have a feeling you're the other cunt I heard about” Jyun remarked bluntly. 

“ _Excuse_ me?” she hissed. 

“Jyun, darling, we don’t _do_ that in _polite_ society, baby” Carrie mock-gasped. 

“Is that right?” 

Patricia gritted her teeth, “Yes! We don't come, _uninvited_ , to someone else's table to antagonize them!” 

Jyun shot out a short contrite laugh, “Bitch, please. I haven’t been polite a whole day in my life. I don’t give a f—k.” 

Patricia gaped like he’d hit her and Jyun tilted his head towards Carrie, “Let’s roll, Car. We've delivered the letter and seen that Gwen's in one piece..” 

“Word.” 

Standing, Jyun glanced at his watch and commented, “Oh wait.” 

Gwen gaped as Jyun jerked the back of Blake’s chair, Carrie getting Billy’s, both of them yelping as they fell backwards. Jyun pointed his middle finger at Blake while Carrie stuffed her hands in her pockets. 

“You keep your damn rich boy hands off my sister-in-law, _bitch”_ he snarled as he walked towards the exit, pointing the gesture at Billy too, “And you count your blessings that I can’t get arrested in a foreign country right now or I’d pound your ass into the ground, cum slut.” 

And the two just disappeared, like apparitions into the daylight. _What_ just happened? 

Kind of just staring, wide-eyed, Gwen was pretty unsure how her husband’s family was so nutty. That and they were capable of just showing up in another country at random too? Everyone at the table was speechless as Billy and Blake clamored back to their feet. Shelly stared as well. 

“Oh my God, I'm in love.” 

Bobby rolled his eyes around and Gwen cleared her throat. Blake, face completely red and clearly embarrassed, snatched the piece of paper away from her. 

“You think I’m going to let your _husband’s_ damn family waltz in here and humiliate me like that?!” 

Gwen grabbed his hand so swiftly, her own speed startled her, and took the paper away, glaring, “Sorry, I’m half-Asian. Don’t you know we have super ninja speed? I mean, that’s the stereotype, right?” 

She stood, smiling, as her mother just looked absolutely mortified, “Excuse me!” 

Walking outside, she looked around to see if either of those blessed two were around. Nope, disappeared like they appeared: into nowhere. Swallowing, she opened the note and was surprised ‘I’ll be outside the hotel at 9 to check on you.’ 

_What_ ? He was still here?! 

Biting her lip, swallowing, she felt her heart race. That made her feel so much better. Reentering the restaurant, she rather proudly retook her seat between those two devils. She wasn’t going to be intimidated. No more. 

But she felt a little intimidated again when Patricia, Blake, and Billy looked at her like they had a mission that they now _had_ to accomplish. 

…She didn’t like that. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

She bit her lip as she stood outside the hotel, wearing a short sleeved trench, shaking. Looking over her shoulder, she bit her lip. Blake pretty much was stalking her and she had to wonder if he was there now. 

Breathing in, she shook her head. This was silly. She went to Japan, she was under the tutelage of Tomei-sensei who taught her not to fear any man. Maybe she’d slightly abandoned some of the woman’s teachings but _that_ had to stick. 

Rubbing her arms though it was 80 degrees, she jumped when a little motor bike buzzed up and stopped in front of the ocean paradise hotel. Confused, she gasped as the owner took off their helmet. 

“Hey, baby.” 

…Kyo? His hair was a pretty scruffy mess for just having been gone two days and then Kyo grew facial hair?! 

He stood and stuffed his hands into his pocket, walking up to her, “How’s it been going?” 

Biting her lip, she grimaced as she forced her face into his chest. He groaned and wrapped his arms around her. 

“I’m so, so, SO sorry.” 

She looked up at him and gawked, “For _what_?” 

“My brother and cousin” he grimaced, “They told me what they did and I was so worried for you. I don’t know, I was upset but I should know Jyun. He’s the retaliating type when it comes to stuff like _that._ ” 

“'That'?” 

He pinked a little, looking off awkwardly, “If it involves him, he’s as passive aggressive as they come. However, if it involves me, Hoshi, Roomi, or any of our family, he will just go nuts and do crazy things. But I don’t need his effin’ protection, I’m a grown man!” 

Gwen pursed her lips and shook her head before smiling, “I’m glad. He said everything I wanted to but didn’t really have the courage to. I should have protected you.” 

He snorted, “Woman, if I hadn’t held you back, you looked ready to knock that man into absolute outer space. It was sweet but…” 

He sighed, pulling away as he gazed at the moon, “I told Jyun pretty verbatim what they said because I've honestly never been spoken to like that. I mean, never, Gwen.” 

Gwen sighed heavily and rubbed her elbow, “I…I’m sorry, I know you haven’t and I was…I was…I don’t know.” 

Kyo was quiet before smiling back at her, “Don't you worry. Want to run away with me?” 

She looked at him, startled, “Wh-what?” 

“Run away with me for a couple hours. I don’t want your mom or Michelle to freak because you’re missing. I promise I’ll get you back in the morning.” 

“I was stunned you were still in Hawaii, you know?” she scowled, “I was crushed thinking that this vacation was ruined and you went back to Japan.” 

Kyo laughed, waving a hand, “This is the stuff I lived for, Gwen. Going somewhere and not having anything but some clothes? I love it!” 

“Well, you _do_ have money.” 

“Incidentals” he waved a hand again, “Before we got married, I’d totally just leave everything and throw myself miles away from home and rough it for a while before getting back. It was a blast.” 

She sulked, crossing her arms, “I’m sorry I ruined your fun then!” 

He grinned and grabbed her hand, “You didn’t, honestly. My parents and siblings hated it and now I think you’re worth it.” 

“Now? _Think_?” 

Kyo snickered, “Well, honestly. before we got all touchy-feely. we weren’t exactly happy with the situation, nay?” 

She grunted and frowned as he placed her on the motorbike, giving her the helmet he’d been wearing, “So where have you been staying?” 

“Mm, gorgeous little hut off the sea. Carrie stays there when she’s filming here, apparently.” 

Gwen frowned and clenched his body tightly as he started the loud vehicle and kicked off down the beach. She closed her eyes as the wind swam through her hair, resting her cheek against Kyo’s back. This was what she’d wanted, she thought absently. And that damn Blake and his bastard father took that from her. 

She opened her eyes when they came to a puttering stop and exhaled faintly. It was beautiful.The sea was like tons of tiny blue crystals, clear, clean, perfect, striking smoothly against white sand. The night sky was a mixture of somber blues and purples, shining with the brightest stars, intermingled with the sea’s start. 

She gasped as Kyo wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, “Isn’t it gorgeous? I’ve wanted to show you since Carrie let me stay here.” 

“It’s amazing” she rasped, closing her eyes. 

She flinched when his _fuzz_ scratched her cheek, glaring, “When did you start growing facial hair?!” 

Kyo snickered, “Uh, fourteen?” 

She pulled away and pouted at him, “I didn’t know any of you could!” 

He grinned lazily, “Well, naturally I keep it from getting this bad but I’ve been kind of lazy. Doesn’t it make me look rugged?” 

“I hate it” she said simply. 

Smirking, he shook his head, taking her hand, “Fine, I’ll shave it off.” 

Pleased, she stared around as he entered the beautiful tiny little beach house. It had a low bed with a white canopy around it, everything else in close proximity. Kyo had her sit on the cute little white bamboo couch as he entered the bathroom, keeping the white bamboo door open as he went to work… 

She swallowed and tapped her toes anxiously. What was going to happen? What were they going to do? 

Jumping when Kyo wandered back in, slamming down beside her, rubbing his jaw, he cocked a brow at her, “Better?” 

Ultimately very happy he wasn’t all scratchy anymore, she rubbed her cheek against his and he closed his eyes, “I guess that’s a 'yes', huh?” 

“Definitely” she whispered, finding her lips nipping at his lower one. Two days and she already missed kissing him. 

He made a soft satisfied sound as his lips locked with hers for a moment before parting, hugging her tightly, “I’ve missed you. You keep me all warm in bed and I miss having you next to me.” 

She couldn’t help laugh, “That’s odd, you know? Just considering.” 

“Things changed” he smiled softly. 

“A lot…” 

She bit her lip, blushing, as she slowly started to pull the shirt he had on over his head. He grabbed her hands as she started to reach for his pants though, looking serious.“Gwen, you don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to, especially for me.” 

“Who said it was for _you_? Maybe _I_ want you” she flustered irritably. 

Kyo grinned as she kissed his jaw, “Oh baby.” 

He exhaled, his lips parting, as she grasped him through his boxers, “Gwen…” 

Softly releasing him from the confines of his pants, she blustered, “H-head is _so_ degrading!” 

“…What?” 

She glared at him as he stared at her, confused, “Oh whatever.” 

“What? Gwen, you don… _ooh_ ” he moaned as she leaned over him, wrapping her mouth around him. 

He groaned as she started to deepthroat him, his eyes rolling back, stroking her hair, “Unnn, I forgot how good this feels.” 

She grunted in response and he started to breathe rapidly, “You know, if you turned a little, we could get a pretty good 69 going.” 

Gwen opened her eyes to cock a brow up at him. Only him, really. Such a kink. 

Lifting her mouth, his cock sitting straight up, she squeaked when he picked her up and took the two steps it was to the bed, carefully laying her down flat on her back. “Oh, how I’ve wanted you.” 

Blushing, she closed her eyes as he kissed her softly, gently, touching her almost feather-like. It wasn’t like a hard sex-off, a raw passionate romp made merely out of lust. 

She liked it, she thought as her eyes rolled back, his body linking with hers. 

“It feels so good…” she barely whispered. 

He rasped in agreement, rushing his hips, “I’m glad…” 

Hugging his neck, greeting him with her own actions, she moaned, growing closer and closer. Sex was never like this with anyone else, it wasn’t this pleasurable. Had she given up men because she hadn’t met the one that made her happy yet? 

Flushing, she closed her eyes before opening them partially, confused when her serenity was interrupted by rapid knocking. Glaring towards the door, she could have lost it when she heard her _mother_ screaming on the other side. “Gwen Douglas! What are you doing?!” 

Kyo groaned, pausing his motions, resting his forehead against hers, “Always when we’re doing it. _Always_.” 

Too frustrated to even let that be an option, she turned him over under her, startling him, “Screw that.” 

He moaned contently as she reached back and grasped his knees, riding him, as her mother continued to knock loudly and scream things about how she was being absolutely rude and selfish and this and that. 

Naturally, it was seriously ruining the mood. Even Kyo seemed to be kind of 'coming down', looking more and more irked before just grabbing her hips, stopping her. Parting with her, much to her chagrin, he turned over on his side in bed and muttered: “We can do it later.” 

Gwen, the aggravation she had beyond any human words, yelled, “I don’t _want_ to!” 

Kyo glanced at her, wide-eyed, and laughed, amused, hugging her, pulling her on top of his chest, “Silly, I don’t want to stop either but as long as your mama’s here killing my groove, it won’t be good for either of us.” 

She pouted deeply and rested her head on his chest as her mother got pretty angry out there before whispering, “I don’t want to go back.” 

He rubbed her shoulder contently, “I don’t want you to, especially with the way that guy is probably talking to you. But you’re the toughest woman I know, you can take him.” 

“I guess” she smirked. 

He opened his mouth but rolled his eyes as Kano ranted on. Grunting, she sat up and got dressed irritably before starting to march to the door. Pausing, she stomped back to Kyo and kissed him firmly on the lips. “I’ll call you?” 

He nodded faintly, “Yea.” 

She didn’t believe in love. Love? That was a laughable term, about the only thing she still one hundred percent agreed with her teacher on: it was nonexistent. Sure, there was familial love. But the familial love she had for her parents and the love they had for her? It was more like ‘I love you because I have to’. 

But nevertheless, she felt like there was such an empty spot when she parted with Kyo. She didn’t love him. She cared about him, naturally, but love? An ‘I love you’ would have fit there in their parting but it wouldn’t have been true. Kyo never said it either so maybe he was sensible about it too. 

Shaking off these thoughts when she exited, she glared at her very flustered mother and didn’t speak a word to her as she walked towards the taxi the woman had waiting. Climbing in, the woman calmly told the driver where to go before turning to Gwen angrily. 

“Why? Have we not given you everything? Why must you be so unconventional and rebellious?” _Naze desu ka?_

Gwen remarked dryly, “Why mother, I didn’t even know you knew Japanese.” 

Kano hissed, “Gwen.” 

Gwen licked her lips, biting them, as she calmed herself, “So what, mother? Why exactly were you in the beginning trying to have an arranged marriage with Kyo and I if you were just going to hate him?” 

Kano looked annoyed, “I didn’t think you were going to get married with all that gung-ho feminist nonsense! I just wanted to make sure you would--” 

“Oh!” laughed Gwen incredulously, humorless, “So Kyo was the test strip, huh? Make sure I was _obedient_ enough to get married at all then when good ol’ Blake Graves got interested in me again then I could just _upgrade_?” 

Her mother glared at her, “It took me years to get where I am, Gwen. Years. And perhaps Kyo has a few nationally known relatives but all of the others are central to Japan. And Kyo himself isn’t doing anything--” 

“How dare you?!” she snapped, angry, “Oh, so because Kyo pays all the bills and has to actually, y’know, _work_ for it then that means he isn’t doinganything, right?” 

“So your father doesn’t _do_ anything?” demanded Kano coolly. 

“Of course father _does_ things! He _works_ for a living too like you’re trying to claim Kyo doesn’t! He’s taken care of himself long before I came into the picture, he’s never been without a job, and he’s not struggling. And you know what _else_ Kyo isn’t? He’s not an asswipe like that bastard you’re trying to put me together with!”   
  


“Gwen!” 

“I won’t go back to Blake. I won’t! I don’t like anything about him and, in fact, I hate him! I don’t want him, I will never want him, and he means absolutely _nothing_ to me! I tried to believe that he had some redeeming traits, just because we were friends and together for so long but after this 'adventure', I think he’s akin to the devil!” 

“Why can’t you give him another chance?” Kano pleaded, “He’s _better,_ Gwen. He’ll be _better_ for you in the long run!” 

“He’s 'better' why?” she trembled, shaking, “He’s better because he’s what? The all-American boy who’s never worked a day of his life but will fall ass backwards into money just because his grandfather’s grandpa did _all_ the work? He’s better because then I’ll be Gwen Graves and that’ll _mean_ something, won’t it?” 

“Gwen--” 

“You know what it means, mother? It means that I’ll become the perfect trophy wife! I’ll sit at home and bend over for my husband when he tells me to! It means that I’ll just end up having his children so that he can dement them to have the same thoughts he does. It’ll mean that I’ll be like his damn mother. Y’know? The one that they blindfold and take turns raping?” 

“ _Gwen_.” 

“I’ll become a raging alcoholic!” she laughed bitterly, “Best case scenario, I’ll just pop enough Prozac that it won’t even matter! I’ll be high enough that maybe I’deven come onto Blake’s business lackeys! And my poor daughter, she’ll see mommy getting gang-raped by daddy’s drinking buddies and you know what I’ll get to tell her? ‘Oh, it’s okay, baby, you should do _anything_ as long as you get a good name! Grandma told me that, that I should just let myself get violated for a rich man!’! That's the best thing we can be in life as long as we want wealth and a name: _toys_!” 

Gwen naturally didn’t expect her mother to smack her but she should have. The woman was absolutely seething, her face blustered with rage, “You listen to me, Gwen Marie Douglas, if you expect us to continue paying for your schooling then you _will_ do more than consider Blake: you will learn to like it. Do you understand?” 

Holding her throbbing cheek, in disbelief that her mother actually _went_ there, she gaped. The driver, who obviously felt very awkward, pulled in front of the hotel slowly. Kano looked at her expectantly, like she'd actually agree. 

“ _Fuck_ you!” 

Gwen threw the door open to the taxi, slamming it loudly, and rushed up the steps to her room, throwing herself face down into the bed, sobbing, choking, refusing to let actual tears fall. Why? Why were they in this twisted world where they'd actually think that it was okay? What was wrong with these people? 

  
Sitting up, biting her lip, tears stinging in her eyes and threatening to fall, she grabbed her cell phone and pressed her speed dial. 

“Why, that was quick. Miss me already?” 

“Sh-shut up” she sniffed, burying her face into the comforter. 

“Hey, you okay?” he questioned, worried, “What’s happened, baby?” 

“My mother said if I didn’t go to Blake th-that she wouldn’t continue to pay for my schooling!” she wept though she fought tears heavily. 

“…That’s bulls—t!” hissed Kyo lowly. 

“It’d-it’d all be for nothing, Kyo! All my plans, my ideas, my _dreams_! She knew exactly where to hit me to make it hurt!” 

“Just tell me what you want, sweetie.” 

Resting her cheek against the pillow, dazed from all the rush of emotions, she felt confused, “What do you mean?” 

“Well, ” he laughed slowly, almost painfully, “This is just a trial, right? Us, I like it and I mean that. I…I like being with you like this but maybe we need to decide now what it is that we want.” 

She swallowed as he continued, “So what is it that you want, Gwen? I promise that whatever makes you happy is what we’ll go with okay?” 

Sitting up, rubbing her eyes, she whispered, “I don’t want to be with Blake.” 

“…Okay.” 

“I…I like it too” she admitted shyly, “I like being with you but I still need more time to figure out what that means.” 

“Me too, honestly” he remarked faintly. 

“N-no offense, Kyo, but you didn’t go to college” she whimpered, “B-but it’s like going to school your whole life then dropping out the final lap if I can’t finish college.” 

“No, I understand perfectly” he said calmingly, “But if you don’t _want_ to be with that dick and your parents cut you off then I’ll take care of you.” 

“I can’t let you do that” she muttered. 

“I’ll give you the money I was going to give your parents” he assured, “I mean, if that helps and if this becomes real, becomes permanent then what’s mine is yours anyway.” 

Gwen breathed shakily and closed her eyes tightly, “I’d-I’d be dependent on you, Kyo. I don’t like that.” 

“Gwen, do you really want to be dependent on parents that would cut you off at the drop of the hat like this because you won’t sell yourself to someone you’ll never care about simply because he's a rich white guy?” 

Stiffening, she gaped, silent, before he quickly added, “I don’t mean to insult them. I’m sorry.” 

“No” she whispered, “You’re absolutely right. It-it won’t last long, I promise.” 

“You do exactly what you set out to do. I’ll take care of it” he reassured. 

“If-if it becomes permanent then I’ll put money back into something so-so I can make it up!” she rambled quickly, “Because it’d be yours too.” 

“Mm.” 

Pulling the comforter over her, not bothering to change into pajamas, she mumbled, “I... like you.” 

He laughed, whispery, “I like you too. You have to deal with those crazies tomorrow so get some rest, okay? And don’t worry. I’m there for you because I want to be.” 

“Okay.” 

“Sweet dreams, baby.” 

“Sweet dreams.” 

Closing her phone, she closed her eyes tightly as she warded off everything that happened. It was more than ‘like’ but not quite what people assumed was ‘love’. Why were words so imperfect? 

Thinking about everything, this world she once lived in, of Billy insulting her husband, 

she felt embarrassed and she didn’t know why. And it made her sick. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Michi, you should eat something, sweetie.” 

Gwen grimaced and looked to her friend as they sat, once again, in the restaurant, discussing the ceremony. And yet again, she was placed between the father-son duo while her mother sent her dark looks. She didn’t care. If she had to give up that family, whatever. Maybe not ‘whatever’ though, she thought miserably. 

Michelle indeed hadn’t eaten anything since everything happened, pushing a bowl of soup around absently without actually consuming any of it. Roy was starting to freak out, understandably. 

“You should, Michelle” Gwen smiled, feeling a lot better about everything. This still could be okay. 

Blake gave her a dark look, “Where’d you go last night?” 

“Out” she remarked, sipping her soup. 

“That’s not an answer, girl” Billy said coolly, “You _tell_ Blake when you leave.” 

“F—k off” snarled Gwen, irritated. 

“Gwen!” scolded Kano. 

Shelly was cutting up her steak, tilting her head, “Well, call me curious but where did you go, lady?” 

“Well, apparently Kyo’s still hanging around so I went to see him.” 

Patricia looked up, alarmed and shocked, “Wh-what?!” 

Michelle’s melancholy melted into surprise, “You mean he’s still here?” 

Gwen nodded and Michelle looked delighted, “I’m glad! Oh my God, I was so worried! He was so excited about this and oh, thank God. I felt awful.” 

Patricia pinned her daughter with a dark look before smiling tightly, “Well, that’s wonderful, isn’t it?” 

“Whatever” growled Blake deeply, “What the hell were you _doing_ with him is what I want to know?” 

“Assuaging his ego, I bet” smiled Billy Graves nastily, “You know what they say about Asian men.” 

Gwen’s eyes narrowed as a chuckle went around the room. Alas, good ol' Shelly coughed: “Footlong.” 

“ _Shell_!” 

“Ugh! Those men are pedophiles and deviants!” hissed Patricia heatedly, “I've seen the nonsense they dabble in, so lewd and lascivious! Kano, surely you want to save your daughter from that degradation!” 

Funny at one time Gwen thought the same exact thing. Okay, sure, Kyo was frisky but it wasn’t really bad. There had to be something said for the fact he always paid better attention to whether she was getting off rather than himself. 

Kano ate an asparagus, eying Gwen, “I did hear that Kyo has quite the…history, Gwen.” 

“He was a playboy, sure” she admitted at ease. It didn’t matter though; that was in the past at present. 

“Ugh! And you’re okay with that? You can’t trust _those_ people!” proclaimed Patricia haughtily. 

“ _Mom_!” Michelle hissed. 

Gwen felt her appetite slowly drifting away again. Leave it to this crowd. Dropping her spoon, she cleared her throat, “Look, I don’t know if you _realize_ this and I know my mother doesn’t want any of you to but I am half-Asian, okay? So you may think you’re insulting just my, oh, _husband_ but you’re continuously insulting me too and I am getting sick of it.” 

“Please. You think you go over there and you become one of them, huh?” snorted Billy. 

Gwen seethed, “Funny, I was _one of them_ when I was the _exotic_ woman your son landed. Now, suddenly, I’m one of _you._ Strange how that works.” 

“Gwen, behave” snarled Kano. 

“It was all joking! I never thought you took any of it _seriously_ ” snorted Billy. 

For a blinding moment, she could actually see _some_ reasoning behind that statement. ‘Oh, my son’s got him an exotic lady’, the exotic blonde California girl. But she knew that tone he’d used. It wasn’t ‘haha, she’s ‘exotic’, alright’ but that kind of sick perversion they had back in the old west, that excitement they got when they thought Asian women’s ‘parts’ went in a different direction. It was a fetish, a fantasy, an attraction that lacked anything but lust. Swallowing, she didn’t bite. She didn’t have to. She knew he was lying. 

“So there you have it!” Patricia clapped, taking her silence as some kind of admission that she’d been wrong, “It’s simple to see! Having an American husband is best. They have more money, are more reliable, and have more standards. It’s ridiculous to want to stay in your current predicament.” 

…She was so embarrassed. 

“ _That’s A LOT of purple dye. I feel like we should tie-dye some shirts while we’re here” snorted then Seiwa Roomi._

_She was standing against the building, afar, as the bridesmaids, pretty much all the immediate females in the family, stirred their dresses in the cauldrons of dye._

_Yagami Celia frowned, “The water’s cold so maybe we should take them out?”_

_Yukina Kaede sighed and gingerly twisted the liquid out of the dress, shaking it out, “Oh! It’s cute!”_

_Roomi came over to get a closer look and nodded, now rather excited. Before, she’d picked out these porn star ‘didn’t-have-the-right-to-be-called-a-dress’ pieces of cloth. “They are! I like them a lot now.”_

_They all hung them on the line and Carrie snickered, staring at her purple hands, “Somehow I don’t know how my director will feel about me being purple.”_

“ _Not purple enough!” exclaimed Roomi._

_To Gwen’s astonishment, Roomi threw a handful of dye at Carrie who actually made an uncharacteristic squealy sound before gawking, her shirt covered in purple. “Oh my God, you skank!”_

_Roomi squealed too when she returned the action and Jilliana gasped as some got on her._

_Had Gwen and Sara or her friends done this, her mother would have come outside and beat them. It reeked of childishness, almost. Low class, even. She'd gawked as she got doused next before having to retaliate._

“ _Ah!” laughed Roomi, trying to dart away._

“ _Hey! I’m BLONDE! You’ll dye my hair purple!”_

_Carrie laughed as well, “Oh God, I forgot about that!”_

_But nevertheless, it didn’t stop them. Gwen couldn’t believe it though. Throwing dye? It was silly._

_All the same, she'd felt amused when Roomi was just almost solid purple, her hair already of the same tone. She probably looked pretty crazy herself, actually, with purple skin and eyes. Luckily it wasn’t on her hair that bad._

_However, someone must have noted this because next thing she'd known she had dye washing down her hair. She'd gawked and turned to the offender, none other than the meek Celia who’d just giggled as people attacked her. Though she’d looked like an uber punk when she had purple hair, she couldn’t help but laugh as the others did, teasing Celia. ‘Watch out for the quiet ones’._

“… _Ummm.”_

_They'd all paused and stared towards the back door. Yagami Dana a.k.a. Yagada had been standing there, wide-eyed, gazing at them. It was a kind of awkward silence. The sad part was, going through everyone of their minds, was to attack Dana too. But ah, the woman was wise as she gave them a look that Kyo sometimes gave so it must have been something she’d passed on to her sons beforehand. But it read of a kind of disinterest. A dangerous disinterest._

“ _Don’t even think about it” she said in a simple tone._

_And they'd all just kind of giggled. She'd expected Dana to scold them though. She was that rich upper-crust one and that was just immature. But the woman smiled, cocking a brow, “Let me send for some towels. You all finish up so you can fill those with soap and water to break down some of that. A purple bride is a little too acid trip.”_

They'd laughed and though Gwen found that remark hilarious, it surprised her too. 

It was childish, maybe even a little weird, but it was fun. And nobody cared that Celia was half-Italian or Kaede had married a half-German man. No one cared how much money they had to their name. They didn't care because it didn't matter. They were happy and that was the only important part. None of them judged her, even when she was simply Kyo's fake wife. It just wasn't relevant because they were all equal. 

That’s what it was, wasn’t it? Everyone was afraid in her parent’s world, afraid that people cared what they did or what they looked like. And of course it was unfortunately true but not to the extremes that they allowed it to exist. They insulted Kyo because he didn’t live in this world where different wasn’t allowed, where he was nothing but the poor Japanese guy that didn’t have generations of money to fall into. He wasn’t one of them and he didn’t care because he shouldn't. 

She wasn’t embarrassed because of her husband.She was embarrassed because her husband had never been spoken to like that in his life until he met her parent’s, and once her, side of society, the apparently “better”side. Never mind that she’d only ever felt awkward around his friends and family because she didn’t know how to bond with strangers, otherwise they were the nicest people in the world. They tried to include her and they were all even in on the fact that her and Kyo had a fake marriage! They had no reason to! 

And she comes here, actually in a _relationship_ that she was trying to nurture, possibly actually make it something serious if they wanted that, and had no interest in anyone but Kyo and her family, her friend's family, her two-faced mother, her _society,_ they could _say_ those awful things to someone when it didn't even _matter._

“ _Gwen_?” 

She looked up to Marissa who was staring at her, rather alarmed, with her other friends. Oh, her friends. They liked Kyo, that was good… 

“Huh?” 

“You’re _crying_. Don't _you_ cry over this bulls--t” snarled Shelly, glaring at Michelle’s mom. 

What? Reaching up, rubbing at her eyes, she found they were wet. Oh. Biting her lip, trembling, she shook her head. This might have been the worst honeymoon ever, she thought humorlessly. Billy and Blake just rolled their eyes like the jerk-offs there were. She hated them. She hated everyone here that felt they were justified in this behavior. Even her own mother would turn face on her and try to throw her to the damn wolves. She wanted to go back to Japan _now_. At least in that world everyone was just kind of quirky and strange but they weren’t _hateful_ like this one. 

Almost weeping, she scolded herself. She came here and she always changed back to the way she was. She hated that too. She hated this society, this place. It made her feel two-faced too. 

“Hello!” 

Everyone kind of jumped and suddenly an absolute look of dread crossed Kano, Billy, Patricia, and all those caught up in this plot’s faces. 

Lane Douglas. 

Kano quickly replaced her disdain with a bright over forced smile, “Dear! I thought you couldn’t get away from work for this!” 

“Oh, just for a few hours. I felt like some Hawaiian ribs” he laughed his normal haughty laugh. 

However, his joviality melted when he saw Gwen’s face and it instantly melted into that papa bear ‘who the hell messed with _my_ child?’ look. 

“Gwen, sweetie, what’s the matter?” he questioned slowly. 

“N-nothing, dad” she blurted. 

“Nonsense!” 

“Um, it’s nothing, I’m sure” said Patricia quickly, laughing extremely nervously, “We, um, were just discussing things!” 

“Why’s my daughter the only one crying then?” demanded Lane rather shortly, “Especially since she doesn’t cry.” 

Gwen had to wince at that as, indeed, she wasn’t the whining, crying type, even back before. That was her mother and sister’s role. Standing, smiling at her father, she wiped her face.“It’s nothing, dad, really. I’m going to step out on the deck for a few minutes.” 

Lane didn’t buy and she groaned as he followed her, “Are they talking about you?” 

“No!” 

“Then what!” 

“Dad-- _daddy_ , I’m fine” she insisted. 

“Where’s Kyo?” he questioned instead. 

Gwen shook before wiping her eyes, “I--” 

Lane scowled and she whispered, “They kicked him out.” 

“Kicked him out?” 

“They’re trying to get me to go back to Blake” she wept uncontrollably, hating that she was telling him this but she had to tell _someone._ “And-and they were so mean to Kyo, dad! They-they- _Billy_ , he-he actually called him a ' _chink'_ and a bunch of other horrible stuff and-and I punched him in the nose. And-and when Michelle’s mom came B-Billy said that _Kyo_ punched him and-and she called him an-an impolite foreigner and insulted him and--” 

Lane suddenly held up a hand before stroking her hair, looking lost, “…I understand.” 

“What?! There’s nothing _to_ understand, it’s wrong!!” 

“No, I...understand” he said rather absently. 

Gwen cocked a brow and started to say something negative before realizing. 

“…You understand” she whispered, startled. 

He laughed, a humorless tone she wasn’t used to, as he glanced back inside, “Your mother wasn’t rich or from the U.S. It wasn’t until after we had you and Sara did my parents even start talking to me again for my 'outlandish' life choices. I’ve heard it and I’ll continue to hear it, Gwen. It’s not right, I hate it, and I will continue to defy it but people will continue to be like a Billy Graves or Patricia Calford. They’ll think you’re better off with someone like Blake because he’s ‘one of us’.” 

Gwen shook her head gravely and Lane hugged her, pretty much swallowing her small form. She pushed her face into his chest and whispered. “Mom said that you guys would cut off my tuition if I didn’t go back to Blake. She’s doing what happened to her to Kyo too. What does that mean?” 

“Psh, bull” the surly man remarked, rolling his eyes, “I didn’t agree to that and for all extent purposes, and don’t kill me, _I_ make the money. Your mother has access to it but she has no right to decide that without me. I can't even say why she's behaving like this. She always has her reasons.” 

Gwen looked up at him hopefully, “So you won’t?” 

“For something as stupid as that? Of course not” he grunted, shaking his head. 

“Thank you, daddy…” she whispered, feeling utterly relieved. 

The man nodded simply and Gwen sighed absently as they walked back inside. Thank goodness. 

Billy looked almost aggravated as she sat back down, Lane entering too brightly, shifting some people to sit next to his wife. “Well, I see things are better.” 

Gwen didn’t respond because it wasn’t. It wasn’t right that these people got into any of their personal business. Hell, she’d never even thought about it but her mother looked way more Asian than Kyo. What did her mother and father have to face? But it just made her angrier because her mother actually rationalized the things they said about Kyo. 

She glanced at the woman for a brief instance. Maybe it was just that horrible. Maybe people made fun of her so badly and criticized her dad that her mother just didn’t want to see the same thing happen to her. The only thing that kept her from being truly sympathetic was her mother was partial cause of why this was happening. 

“Come now, Lane” Patricia said, seeming frantic, “Blake and Gwen made a fine couple before so surely you could see it’d be better for her in the long run.” 

Lane sipped a glass of wine, “It’s not really my place to even decide something like that. It’s up to Gwen who she’d rather be with.” 

Patricia swallowed, “Of course. But you have _some_ influence as her father. And of course you _must_ approve of Blake more so than her current husband.” 

Gwen could have hit her. Lane’s brow drooped, “Tad of a low blow, don’t you think?” 

Patricia grew pale and Billy snorted, “I would take it as a low blow if you chose _him_ over my son.” 

“I’ll be frank: I’d rather my daughters have become nuns. I don’t care for the simple _being_ of men in their lives.” 

Gwen smirked at him, “O-kay?” 

“But that’s obviously not an option!” 

Lane sighed, “Fine. Let me be _blunt_ : I know what your son did. I’m not stupid and frankly it was all I could do not to come and stab him through the throat.” 

Billy glared as Blake looked nervous. “And what do you _suppose_ my son did?” 

“Oh, only slept with my fifteen-year-old daughter.” 

Gwen nearly choked on her wine, startled out of this universe. Blake kind of gaped, growing pale. Billy looked maybe a tad amused. “Well, you know teenagers, Lane, we were there once. Hormones, infatuations. Just means they’ve been in a longer _intimate_ relationship.” 

“Did I _say_ Gwen?” 

Kano turned to look at him incredulously and Billy now looked puzzled, “Uh, what?” 

“Oh, our maids are quite efficient on keeping tabs on what is happening in the mansion” smiled Lane darkly, “It’s statutory rape, you know? Whether it’s consensual or not, an eighteen-year-old sleeping with a fifteen-year-old.” 

Billy looked _extremely_ confused before it dawned on him and he closed his blue eyes, tapping the table as Blake buried his face in his hands, groaning. “So you slept with her sister, son?” 

“It’s why we broke up, isn’t it, Blake?” Gwen smiled with mock-warmness. 

“Sh-she wouldn’t even let me explain!” he blurted. 

“Pig” huffed Shelly. 

“That's all in the past though!” gasped Patricia, probably seeing her millions pouring away as she started to fail this negotiation, “I mean, I’m sure Blake is sorry for what happened and-and it’d still be better in the long run!” 

“Give it up, mother” sighed Michelle absently. 

“It’s not enough to simply _love_ a person! They must have something like money, standing, good family” snapped Patricia, flustered, “Going off on some bohemian adventure is ludicrous!” 

There were murmurs of agreement that made Gwen’s blood boil. Lane shrugged. “Kyo comes from a rather outstanding family. His grandfather is the world-renown neurosurgeon Yagami Yamada, his grandmother is Yagami Dana, also known as the owner of Yagada. His father’s brother, Yagami Koji, and his uncle, Izumi Cliff, are very renowned figures in the stock market if you follow that scene. He has a very good name if it even mattered.” 

“…Yagada?” questioned Patricia, growing pale. 

Michelle snorted loudly, “How about that, mommy? You insulted the grandson of your favorite shoe designer. I’m sure she’d love to hear about that!” 

Patricia flushed and one of Michelle’s uncles, a doctor, was alarmed as well, “I’ve-I’ve followed Dr. Yagami’s works for years.” 

“Yes, well, there you have it” shrugged Lane again, “And it's still not as if that really matters. I’m just concerned that he’s good enough for my daughter and I think he’s fine.” 

Billy looked angry. Standing swiftly, he hissed, “You’re a fool, Lane. Denying my son like this will be a mistake you and your daughter will regret.” 

“I’m still not so sure about that, Billy” stated Lane dryly. 

Billy huffed and stomped out, leaving Blake there to glare at Gwen. She didn’t feel any better about having to bring Kyo’s rich family into this discussion. That he was the man she loved should've been enough. 

Her mother just seemed distraught and upset. She sighed miserably. 

Worst vacation ever. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Aww, I knew Lane was an awesome guy.” 

Gwen lied on her stomach in bed, curled up in the sheets. She'd just just taken a shower and not bothered to locate clothes, her hair still down. “Yea, I’m really glad he showed up. I think things will be a lot better now.” 

“I’m glad” yawned Yagami Kyo, apparently also lying down, “So, want to come over and snuggle?” 

She smirked, “It’s a little late, y’know. Three a.m.” 

“Mm, but I haven’t seen you in two days.” 

“Two more” she sighed miserably, “This has sucked as a honeymoon.” 

“Yea, I kind of abandoned that idea as soon as your ex-boyfriend’s father decided to arrange another marriage for you” Kyo snorted dryly. 

Gwen sighed and turned over on her back, about to remark, when there was a knock at her door. Frowning, she sat up and sighed, “Someone’s visiting, Kyo, it might be Shell.” 

“Mm, okay” he sighed as well before saying hopefully, “Lunch at least? Tomorrow?” 

She smiled faintly, “Breakfast. The practice ceremony is tomorrow.” 

“Ah, gotcha. Sounds good then. Call me when you wake up, okay?” 

“Alright. Sleep well” she said sheepishly. 

“You too.” 

Ugh, must think of reasonable non- “I love you” parting for the future. 

Looking in the peephole, her eyes widened…Blake? 

Grunting, she started to turn away but he knocked heavily, “Open the door, Gwen! I know you’re in there!” 

Still content to ignore him, she rolled her eyes when he got louder. Ugh, he’d wake everyone! Bastard. Marching over towards the door, she swung it open and glared at him. 

“ _What_?” 

He stared at her, a beer in his hand which he drank absently as he stared at her. “…You usually answer the door naked?” 

“There’s a sheet” she said bluntly, “Now, if that’s all, you are the last _creature_ I want to see right now. Go away.” 

Blake grabbed the door as she started to slam it and grunted, “Things were easier before, weren’t they? It’s the boundaries that got in our way.” 

“What are you talking about?” she demanded. 

“I don’t care if you slept with Hugh” he insisted, “So come on, come back here. Come back to _me_. I know what you’re thinking; you’re thinking I’d do the same things my dad does to mom. I wouldn’t. It’s…it’s too strange.” 

She paused and frowned thoughtfully. True, to some extent. Blake always seemed gravely upset when he knew what was going on with his mother and his father would beat him if he said anything about it so after time he just pretended nothing happened. But that didn’t change her mind. “Blake, it’s…it’s not that, okay? I’ve moved on and you need to too.” 

Blake’s eyes darkened though and she hissed when he grabbed her arms, “Let go, Blake! I mean it!” 

She almost screamed when he yanked the sheet away. He grabbed her wrist, throwing her on her back on the bed. 

… _No way_. 

Blake crawled over her, reaching into his pants, stroking himself. “Do I need to remind you? Do I need to remind you that you’re _mine_?” 

Gwen gaped and finally screamed when he tried to part her legs. _No_! What the hell!?   
  


Rasping, not letting herself grow too horrified _completely,_ she punched him square in the ear. He hissed and apparently she hadn’t completely destroyed his balance because he punched her in the face. Seething, Gwen figured that there was only thing left to do from this position. She kneed him in what Shelly called the babymaker. Hard. 

_That_ sent him keeling over, howling, and she quickly ran, grabbing her sheet, and rushed out. So yea, this was supposed to be her honeymoon vacation and the joyous occasion of one of her best friends getting married. But thus far, she’d had a part of her culture and husband ridiculed, been pretty much manhandled into trying to accept Blake as her new better husband, and, oh wait, now the _better_ choice for husband was trying to rape her. Great! 

“You little bitch-whore!” 

She yelped loudly as she rushed down the eerily empty hallways of the hotel. Why?! Did he set this up? Did him and Billy pay off everyone to abandon ship in case she escaped?! 

Rasping, sharply inhaling so much that she whistled, Gwen almost threw up when Blake caught her from behind, covering her mouth, whispering in her ear. 

“You know, I lied” he hissed, grasping her breast, “I’d do more than my father. I’d have all your past exploits come over and f—k you senseless. And I’d watch and love every _second_ of it. Maybe I’d even have your little husband watch too.” 

Gwen’s eyes widened and she knew that maybe Blake truly was the devil. She bit his hand as her last resort, rendering the desired reaction of him holding his hand, yelping. Rushing away, she felt her heart race. She wasn’t supposed to fear men. 

…But she was scared senseless. 

Blindly, she found Shelly’s door and knocked like her life depended on it in which it may. 

“Please! Please open up, Shelly!!” she sobbed uncontrollably. 

She thought she heard Blake’s footsteps racing. She choked and wept and hiccuped, beating the door. No! 

It finally opened and she nearly recoiled when she saw Bobby. He was shirtless and gazing at her sleepily, confused. But that wasn’t what scared her. He was a man. He might know what’s going on. He might be in on it. He might _help_ Blake. 

“Gwen, what’s wrong?” he asked scratchily, rubbing his belly. 

Oh damn it, whatever! He may know, he may not, it didn’t matter but at least Shelly would kill him if he was! Bobby’s eyes suddenly creased, “Hey, what happened to your eye?” 

“You slut, where are you?!” 

Blake’s voice made her jump right into the arms of her may-or-may not be enemy. Bobby’s eyes widened and Blake appeared, seething. 

“…Blake?” 

Gwen shivered, clutching him. If he handed her over, she wasn’t going without leaving some marks. Surprisingly, Bobby pushed her behind him protectively, holding his arm out, “…What are you doing?” 

“Stay out of this” hissed Blake, looking ready to lunge past him. 

“…Stop it” Bobby glared deeply, pushing him back, “Go sober up before you do something you regret.” 

“Hand her over, Bobby!” snapped Blake, “I have the power to _crush_ your family. All my family has to do is pull their stock and you’ll all be bums on the street before Monday!” 

Gwen choked. Why? Why when things got desperate did they have to aim _so_ low?! Bobby was silent and she wondered if he was considering it. Nope, he just slammed the door right in the bastard's face. 

Locking it as Blake beat uncontrollably, yelling threats, he turned to her, asking gently, “Are you okay?” 

She bit her lip and nodded rapidly, tears welling in her eyes, “I-I’m sorry, he-he threatened your family--” 

He rolled his eyes around, “Really Gwen, I’m not going to hand you over to some raging rapist because he threatens my family. I don’t even know why he thinks my family is dependent on him.” 

“Hey, what was all that noise?” 

Gwen looked back to Shelly who came out of the bathroom, towel drying her hair, before looking startled, “Gwen?” 

Relieved and completely and utterly stressed, Gwen choked and rushed to her, feeling weak for hugging her, for crying tirelessly into her shoulder. But Shelly wrapped her arms around her, stroking her hair. She looked to Bobby who sighed and grumbled, “I think Blake tried to attack her.” 

Shelly stiffened and she hissed, “I’ll murder that bastard!!” 

Gwen just continued to cry and she grumbled, walking her over to the bed. Shelly got her a shirt and a pair of jogging shorts before sitting down with her to text everyone before staring and groaning. 

“Everyone’s probably knocked out.” 

“Yea” agreed Bobby, crawling onto the bed, “Let’s sleep for now. We can deal with it in the morning.” 

Shelly lied her down on the bed, holding her until Gwen sobbed herself to sleep, and gazed at Bobby sadly, “Y’know, I always wanted Gwen to come back to Cali but not if she has to deal with all this.” 

Bobby nodded in agreement before resting his head on the pillow. “I just wonder what Kyo will have to say about all this.” 

“Say? I hope he’s more a ‘doer’. Like he’ll do the action of disemboweling that asshole.” 

He sighed faintly and closed his eyes. “This vacation has definitely sucked.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

… _Why’d he have to say that?_

_If it wasn’t bad enough that he tried to rape her, he put that awful image in her head. She saw all the football team members, the ones she willingly slept with, degrading her and Blake watching with utter satisfaction. And Kyo. Thing about Kyo though was he was dead._

_It was the most morbid thing she’d ever seen, his eyes open, lifeless, blood dripping past his lips and running like tears as if the only way Blake was going to get Kyo to watch this gang-rape monstrosity was if he were dead. That, in her twisted delusions, gave her some comfort._

_It was like some blatant comparison. Blake was jacking off to this and Kyo had to be killed otherwise he’d probably have killed all of them. She didn’t want Kyo to die though, she cried, as she stared at him. She didn't want Blake. All she'd wanted was to be with him and they took him away._

… _She…didn’t believe in love._

“Kyo!” 

Her friends all jumped a mile, all of them in the room, as Gwen woke, drenched in sweat. Marissa quickly came over and smoothed back her hair as she pulled her into her arms, hushing her whimpering. “Oh sweetie, it’s okay.” 

Of course. Of course it was a dream because never in this lifetime or universe would she ever choose to be Blake’s wife. Gasping for breath, clenching her heart, she found Rachel, Roy, Marissa, and Michelle had gathered. Resting her ear on Marissa’s shoulder, she closed her eyes and rasped. “W-what time is it?” 

“It’s 12.” 

She opened her eyes slowly and sobbed, “No! I-I was supposed to go to breakfast with Kyo before the practice ceremony!” 

“Don’t worry, he’ll be over soon” assured Shelly. 

Gwen wiped her face and felt sick. Michelle was weeping, “M-maybe we should just _elope_. My-my mother isn’t going to let Billy or Blake be uninvited despite the fact one of them just tried to _rape_ Gwen!” 

Roy grunted in response, “Yea.” 

“N-no!” blurted Gwen shakily, “You guys have been looking forward to this day!” 

“Yea, before all _this_ happened” Michelle whined, “It’s not fair that my stupid parents and-and their stupid ties are ruining _my_ wedding over such horridness!” 

Gwen shivered and Michelle plopped down beside her, hugging her, “I’ll never ever forgive him for doing that to you, Gwen. I’ll never forgive myself because if I’d just paid for my _own_ wedding, Blake wouldn’t have even been considered for anything to do with it. But I was too concerned about the house and the baby--” 

“Michi, come on, those things are so much more important” insisted Gwen, trembling, “And you didn’t expect this to happen.” 

“Not at all” she laughed bitterly. 

“It’d be like a punch in the face to our parents” Roy suddenly stated, rubbing his face, appearing indifferent, “But I have to say this has been a giant punch in the gut to _us_ the whole time. I think they have forgotten who this was for.” 

They all nodded and murmured in agreement before Roy glanced at his watch, “We can go to the ceremony then I guess we can go somewhere and elope with all the friends then they can take off so they don’t have to deal with the psychopaths otherwise known as our parents.” 

Michelle looked startled, “ _Two_ weddings?” 

Gwen frowned, not wanting them to have to deal with that at all but jumped, grasping Marissa, when there was a knock at the door. Shelly cracked her knuckles and crooked her neck, “Well, if this is Blake I have a few teeth I noted he could do without.” 

Bobby sighed as she stalked over and opened the door. 

“Hey, what’s going on?” 

Gwen gasped, looking up when Kyo walked into the room, looking dark before seeing her. He gawked. “What the hell?!” 

She winced as he rushed to her, taking her cheeks into his hand and gently thumbing the broken flesh around her eye. Staring, he laughed crazily. “I’ll kill him. I swear to God, I will murder him. Where is he?!” 

Gwen grimaced again and caught his arm as he started to set out on his mission, “N-no! Come on, Kyo, it’s not important! I got away!” 

“And what if you hadn’t, huh?” he hissed, “I-I can’t believe this!” 

Shelly smoothed her locks back before shaking her head, “I hate to do it, Michelle, but there’s just too much bad blood flying around. I think we all, and you and Roy, should get the hell out of here. This is a disaster.” 

Michelle sighed heavily and Kyo gently pulled Gwen into his arms, stroking her hair, “I think I may have to agree. This has gone too far.” 

Roy nodded miserably, “Well, I was thinking of having a nice impromptu wedding somewhere today and suffering through the one tomorrow so our friends wouldn’t have to but Michelle seems adverse to two weddings.” 

“It’s not the ‘two weddings’, it’s the expenses” she murmured. 

Kyo stroked his chin thoughtfully, “How many are you looking at for this ceremony?” 

“Fifty, maybe? Give or take ten.” 

Pursing his lips, rolling his eyes around in thought, he nodded, “Okay. Don't you worry about it. I’ll give you guys a call around six then. And Gwen, it’s up to you, but I express _massive_ disapproval of you going to this ceremony where that son of a bitch will be.” 

“I won’t” she whispered. 

“Awesome. Leave it to us then” Kyo gave them a faint smile. 

Michelle looked alarmed, “Wh-what?” 

“I’ll fix up the impromptu wedding. It’ll be way sucky but I’ll make it work.” 

“We can’t ask you to do that! Notafter everything that’s happened!” 

“Nah, it’ll be a piece of cake” he smiled more, “And think of it as our wedding gift: a non-horrible wedding.” 

Michelle exchanged a look with Roy before sighing, “I don’t know.” 

“Michelle, can I ask you to do one thing and text all the people you guys are okay with and see who will show and get some measurements on them?” 

“Uh, sure.” 

“Awesome! Now, let’s get to work, Gwen” he said cheerfully, kissing her forehead and grabbing her hand. 

Gwen swallowed, clenching her eyes shut as they went back to her room and she trembled as he set her down on the bed, his face instantly melting into more worry.“Are you really okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t want to completely freak in front of your friends to make things worse. Do you need to go to the hospital?” 

Gwen shook her head, burying her face into his chest, trembling, “I’m…I’m fine now.” 

He held her, dropping down into bed so they could cuddle and he buried his nose in her hair, “I want to protect you. Not because I don’t think you can protect yourself either, just you needed me and I wasn't there.” 

“That's not your fault. And it was too convenient” she whimpered, “The halls were completely empty! There’s always cleaning people or-or _someone_ but just that _one_ moment. It was planned. Someone had to have gone along with a plan.” 

Kyo just hissed and pressed his lips against her forehead, “I had _no_ idea anything like this could actually happen in reality. I could kill something right now.” 

Gwen closed her eyes and shook her head miserably before Kyo sighed heavily, “So do you want me to take care of this while you rest?” 

“N-no! I want to help” she whispered. 

He sighed and nodded, “Well, let’s work our magic so we can get out of here and go back to Japan.” 

“Okay” she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder drearily, “I think it’s impossible to plan a wedding in a day though.” 

“Psh, impossible? Never.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Gwen smiled faintly despite herself as all her former high school classmates and Michelle’s college people squealed, contently going through the wide array of clothing available that Kyo and her had purchased. From H &M to Forever 21 to Charlotte Russe to Macy’s, the two just grabbed cute white things in the four typical sizes of small, medium, large, and extra large with some variants, white jewelry, and, to save some cash, just got some cheap cute flip flops with flowers on the thong. 

For the guys, they just got nice poplin tunics and some indigenous flowers to pin to them. As pants were just too difficult a thing, they just asked them to wear the lightest pair they had and if it was black, it was okay. Short notice, after all. 

They went to a baker and asked for a nice sheet cake with levels. The woman seemed incredulous and said they could maybe manage three levels. Kyo said that was fine and bought some cute little cupcakes to go around it to make up for any lack they might face. 

Food, Gwen had just known he’d fail to accomplish. Except he easily got tons of fruit from the markets, bought varied meats from the butcher and some bread. It was easy, honestly. He got some fruity wine and planned to make a party bowl of the punch. Okay. 

He bought tons of little umbrellas to put in the glasses he bought in bulk from a party store along with fancy plastic ware. He got fancy plastic ware too. Didn’t want to have to deal with a bunch of random dishes afterward. 

It was, surprisingly, only 4:30 once they accomplished all that but Kyo still seemed hectic. He paid a little street band that they just happened to pass going to a small chapel to play the music. And the priest didn’t have much to do that day so he agreed to it. 

Ugh, the chapel, Kyo freaked. He went and got a lattice one and some simple white benches from a home improvement store and they bought tons and tons of tropical flowers from multiple florists. He got her to place them in the arch while he drew in the sand where everything was going to be set up, having managed to rent benches for everyone to sit at and a table at least to set the food on. As for location, since Carrie owned the beach house, that was where it was going to be held. 

“…A dress” Kyo inhaled sharply. 

Gwen frowned back at him, “What?” 

“A dress! We need to find a wedding dress” he groaned. 

_Really_ ? 

Getting about twenty poles with white rice lanterns as they rushed to a bridal store, Gwen frowned. 

“ _We don’t know her size!”_

“ _You guys are about the same size” he insisted._

_Incredulous but figuring he was too involved to care that uh, she wasn’t, he chose out a simple strapless clingy gown._

“ _Unlike ME, Michelle picked out a nice princess poofy dress” Gwen informed._

_Kyo waved a hand, “Gives Roy something to appreciate for this one then.”_

_Gwen couldn’t help but smirk. She groaned when he pushed her behind the curtain with a dress, “We’re NOT the same size.”_

“ _Whatever, woman.”_

_Leering, she sighed and flustered as she tried on the dress quickly. It fit well, considering, she thought. Absently, she stared at herself in the mirror and blushed._

_She never actually thought much of her wedding after the King of the Rapist Asses and her broke up. Before, she knew she wanted a nice big wedding with all her friends on a beach…_

“ _Oi, we’re in a hurry here, lady!”_

_Kyo threw the curtain open and she scowled at him, “I would have murdered you if I was naked.”_

_He just kind of stared at her, wide-eyed, before grasping her hand, making her do a twirl, “…You’re beautiful.”_

_Flustering, she pulled away, “N-not really. I bet it’ll look better on Michelle.”_

_Kyo crossed his arms and slowly looked thoughtful, “You know, if we stick to our relationship, I want a wedding.”_

“ _Why?” Gwen snorted, “We’re already married.”_

“ _Because! It’d be more official. And I’d get you a real ring and stuff…” he coughed._

_She smiled, semi-amused, by the ring they found in a thrift store. Admittedly ‘cubic zirconium’, they just hadn’t cared then but now, glancing at it, she found that she’d grown rather used to it, no matter how fake it was._

“ _It wouldn’t be necessary” she sighed, turning around to tug at the dress a bit._

_Gwen blushed as he hugged her from behind, kissing her temple, “Yea, considering how our marriage started, I think we’d need a new fresh REAL start. You know, if we do actually stay together.”_

_Gwen closed her eyes as he kissed her neck before he withdrew, startled, “Oh crap, I’m-I’m sorry, you-you were just--”_

_She frowned and he sighed, laughing nervously, “You’ve just been acting okay all day so I was…”_

_Gwen sighed at that and murmured, “I’ve…felt better. Part of me hates that it’s because you’re here that I'm not completely in shambles.”_

_Kyo snorted, “I don’t know how to take that.”_

“ _I don’t know either” she smiled some, “It was like you were saying before. It wasn’t that I needed protection. I just could have used someone there.”_

_He grasped her hip, guiding her, “And I’m here now. But I mean it about the wedding. Don’t worry, tradition has it that if we get married, my grandma would hook you up.”_

_Gwen just snorted and sighed as they picked out the finishing touches. It might have actually been nice._

Still, a lot of other things to work out before that step, she supposed. 

“Ah! This is so fun!” exclaimed a girl that used to be a cheerleader, Mariah or something, as the women went at it, accessorizing along with their other classmates. 

Gwen chuckled, wearing the simple white strapless dress that Kyo picked for the bridesmaid that stopped at her knees, a pretty white blossom in her hair. 

“God, Michelle, stop effin’ crying!” 

Gwen glanced to where Shelly was trying to do Michelle’s make-up. The blushing bride was already prone to hysterics so she was bawling as soon as she saw all the work Kyo and her had done in the short time. 

Shelly sighed as Michelle kept blustering, standing up straight, “For God’s sake. Anyway Gwenzy, you should go check on the men, see if _they're_ in hysterical tears.” 

Chuckling, Gwen waved, “Sure thing. Be right back.” 

The women took over the house for the dressing up so the guys set up a makeshift area outside. Gwen smiled at Roy who was pacing, biting his thumb. He saw her and smiled a little. “You know, I thought I’d have an extra day to get settled about this.” 

Gwen snickered, going over and fixing his flower, “Well, now you’ll be able to go through the wedding tomorrow without missing a beat.” 

“I can’t thank you enough” he suddenly murmured, “I mean, this is amazing. I thought it’d be kind of thrown together--” 

She couldn’t help laugh, “It definitely was, we have oversize Christmas lights and rice lanterns as lighting.” 

“It fits perfectly though” he insisted. 

Kyo was walking around like some crazed wedding planner, on his phone and actually magically conceived a clipboard with a checklist. “Look, I know you have a flight at 12 but it’s like a twenty flight! You’ll be rested and everything to go back and deal with your psycho boss!” 

He looked cross as apparently Jyun told him to go die. “I hate you, you’re the suckiest brother ever! …I’ll kick _your_ ass!” 

Roy’s eyes widened, “…That doesn’t sound good.” 

Gwen rolled her eyes, “Don’t worry, that’s a normal conversation between the two.” 

“Okay!” he said brightly, clapping his hands as he got off the phone, “Now that that’s done, how are we looking?” 

“Michelle’s a crying fit and Shelly’s having a hard time doing her makeup” Gwen sighed. 

Roy snorted, “Tell her to calm down.” 

Gwen glanced at her phone and frowned, “We need to get this rolling. Seat all the guys, I’ll send out the girls.” 

“Copy” Kyo relayed, going over to the band that were also dressed like the wedding guest men to advise them to start warming up to play the ‘wedding song’. 

Gwen dashed back to the house, feeling breathy. Okay, so this was almost accomplished and without the racist parents and rapist bastards. 

“I don’t think if it’s good enough. It’s really lacking.” 

“I think I know what you mean, seriously.” 

Gwen froze and paused at the entry as she listened to Shelly and Michelle talk. “I mean, how much effort did they even put into this? This was kind of an important task considering.” 

…No way. 

“Well, they tried.” 

She almost laughed. Almost laughed and threw up and punched them in the face. Oh, so nothing was ever good enough for _anyone_ , was it? Kyo and her dropped serious cash for this wedding and spent almost six hours nonstop rushing around to get everything in place and it was never good enough. Never! 

They were like their parents, she thought angrily. Just like them. Oh, the dress wasn’t Vera Wang or the tuxedo wasn’t Armani. Sorry! Balling her fists, wanting to kill something, she hissed. And Kyo had put his heart and soul into this. How dare they? How dare her friends fail her too? 

Marissa walked over, her ‘BFF’ that probably had a comment too, before shaking her head, “Aww, I think it’s fine.” 

Mari-bell. She could depend on her. 

Shelly cocked a brow and looked up before her eyes brightened, waving a hand, “Hey, hey, Gwen can tell us what she thinks, she’d know.” 

…What? 

Michelle looked up as well, a pretty flowered veil in her golden hair, her cheeks made up with glitter and silver eyeshadow, “Oh darling, tell me: do you think Kyo would like this?” 

…What? Gwen slowly walked over, unsure, and gazed down and was startled. It was a pretty silver watch with a silver face and some light effects as a beam of white light traveled back and forth over the face under light blue numbers for time. 

…A watch? 

Her heart rose and sank. They weren’t talking about the wedding. They were talking about a gift for Kyo. 

Why was she so cynical? Her friends had never led her to believe she couldn’t trust them, that they turned on her. Never. And she’d done enough that could make them do so but they never had. 

Funny that before, as a feminist, she would have trusted them one hundred percent. Now, because of her mother and their parents, she didn’t trust any of them. That made her sick. 

But she had to get over that. She couldn’t be leery of her own friends because of their parent’s brainwashing and conditioning. She couldn’t be leery of men because that one attempted to rape her. There should be a healthy dose of suspicion in meeting anyone, in knowing anyone, but it was never healthy to instantly jump to conclusions to push them away. 

Smiling quickly, she cocked a brow, “I think he’d get pretty, uh, distracted with all that lighting but it’s cute.” 

Michelle sighed heavily, “I sent for a nice present for him. I mean, my God, he gets kicked out of my wedding by my awful parents and they attempt to pimp out his wife and then he plans my wedding for me. It’s crazy, I tell you.” 

“I think he enjoyed it” she snickered before giving her a comforting look, “We both did. And we just want you to be happy, okay?” 

Michelle sniffled and Shelly glared, “Don’t you start that up again!” 

They giggled and Kyo knocked at the door, “Show time in five.” 

“Ah!” Michelle rasped, “I’m so nervous. I’m going to be married.” 

Gwen smiled and hugged her. “You’ll love it.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Well, Mr. Yagami, I think you have a certified career here.” 

Kyo, watching his brother take pictures of the procession, laughed as Gwen walked to him, slipping under his arm, “Oh yea, I can advertise: I can get your wedding done in six hours flat.” 

Gwen chuckled, closing her eyes, “Michelle and Roy liked it.” 

“Liked it?!” 

Michelle and Roy appeared and Gwen laughed, shaking her head, since Michelle had started to bawl again, tears running down her face as she hugged Kyo, “I _loved_ it, Kyo! This was so perfect and comfortable. You have no idea how stressful this has been for me.” 

He patted her back and chuckled, “It’s _your_ day. You should be the one to enjoy it, not your mother.” 

Michelle sniffed and nodded, “Just to clarify, I’d never think those things and I hate Blake and he’s sucked forever and you’re a billion times better and I don’t care what my mother or Billy or anyone says!” 

Gwen smirked some and Kyo laughed, grinning, “Thanks.” 

Roy smiled, “Really though, thank you. Michelle hasn’t been happy this whole trip.” 

They agreed that it was no issue and Gwen sighed as they finally sat, “I’m so tired.” 

Kyo rested his ear on top of her head, closing his eyes faintly, “Tell me about it.” 

“Aww, aren’t you two cute?” 

Kyo opened his eyes to leer at his brother who lied down flat on a nearby bench, covering his face with his wrist, “I wish Roo was here. This’d be a lot more relaxing.” 

“Right” snorted Kyo, “She’d want you to take her all over the place, knocked up or not.” 

Jyun shot him a glare, “My _wife_ is not _knocked up,_ she’s _pregnant_.” 

“Aren’t we proud of ourselves?” 

Gwen rolled her eyes around and sighed, “You two.” 

Gwen stood, stroking Kyo’s shoulder, “I’ll go get us something to eat before it vanishes.” 

“Sounds good” he agreed, rubbing her hand before releasing it as she walked away. 

Jyun observed this and commented, “She really is a nice person. Fake or not though, I don’t know what she saw in you.” 

Kyo stuck out his tongue but laughed with a sigh, “Me either. You know, I told Hoshiko back when she introduced Julius to the family that I don’t think we ever feel like we live up to the person we love.” 

Jyun nodded amiably but smiled faintly, “It’s interesting, at least.” 

“I feel after all this that I’m not worthy for other reasons though” he laughed slowly. 

Jyun glared, “Shut the f—k up. Don’t you dare think that because you’re Asian and not spewing money out of every orifice that you’re not good enough for Gwen. There’s a difference between feeling that you have to continue to do your best to live up to being worthy of her and not being worthy because of something you can’t change.” 

Kyo sighed miserably and Jyun rolled his eyes, “And we’re not even that poor, you know? As far as our family goes, Kae owns galleries, Steiner owns restaurants, Kei is a lawyer, Uncle Koji and Cliff are big time brokers, dad's an affluent farmer. We're fine.” 

“…And what am I?” 

Jyun stared at him, surprised, before shrugging, “Okay, so you don’t have a permanent job but you never struggled to pull your weight and never leeched off our parents. You’re a reliable, responsible adult. Wait…reliable I might have to renege on.” 

Kyo snickered, flicking him off, “I suppose.” 

He glanced at Gwen who was laughing with a few of her high school peeps. But maybe it was time for him to change that. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Ah! This is fun!” 

Michelle laughed and ate a strawberry as the girls all sat on the bed in her room, “I don’t know, I’m pretty sure I should be engaging in some sensual activities with my hubby right now.” 

Shelly snorted, “I think you two have engaged in a few too many of those activities as, you know, you’re _preggos_.” 

Michelle stuck out her tongue and Gwen chuckled, looking to Kyo whom was unconscious on the couch. He refused to leave her and they were now flying back with Jyun who pushed the flight back to 2 a.m. Now she was just hanging out with her friends before they all parted again. 

“Anyway, truth or dare, Rache” questioned Michelle, dipping her piece of pineapple into the chocolate they had. 

“Truth” she sipped a margarita. 

“You and Mitchell were eying each other pretty hardcore today and this whole time. What happened?” the blonde questioned coyly. 

Rachel sighed and waved a hand, “Oh, we were messing around a lot a few weeks ago and he admitted he slept with someone at work.” 

“What!? What an ass!” snapped Michelle. 

Marissa frowned, “But I’ve known Mitch since, like, kindergarten! That doesn’t sound like him at all.” 

Rachel suddenly chuckled, “Well, I thought it was…interesting who he slept with. He said he got really drunk and this guy Keith, his district manager, convinced him to sleep with him.” 

The coconut milk spewed from Michelle’s lips and Marissa and Gwen gawked, saying in unison, “Mitch is gay?” 

The dirty blonde laughed, “It was pretty funny the way he described it. The guy said he would be fired if he didn’t let him do stuff. And you know Mitchell, he hates being a ‘snitch’ seeing as that’s _highly_ unethical so he said, ‘uh, okay’ and you know, apparently this Keith guy _tried_ but fired Mitch because well, you know.” 

“What!? That’s insane! I hope Mitchell sues him, firing him for not being gay and sexually harassing him!” grunted Gwen. 

Marissa cocked a brow, “Yea, seriously. So what’s going on with you two?” 

“Well, I decided we should take it easy for a little while” she shrugged, “I’m not all that mad with him but he’s mad with himself and I guess he’s sorting all that out.” 

Shelly popped a grape into her mouth and cocked a brow, “You sure he wasn’t secretly aroused and that’s why he needs sorting out?” 

Rachel smirked, cocking a brow, “Maybe? I mean, I’m pretty sure he gets going when we go at it unless he's just really good at boning with chicks.” 

“Could be bi” snickered Shelly, “Bobby is.” 

They all paused and stared at her as she sipped a beer before Marissa commented: “Uh, what?’ 

Shelly waved a hand, rolling her eyes around, “He’s bi. You know, swings for both teams?” 

“ _Bobby_?” 

Shelly nodded, affirming this, and they all were startled. “I mean, nothing’s wrong with that, it just…is kind of strange. Bobby doesn’t seem…the type, if that makes sense.” 

“It’s fun” Shelly shrugged, “Especially in the bedroom. You don’t get to peg guys a lot.” 

“Ah! You’re such a perv!” they squealed. 

Kyo groaned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes, “I don’t know why I thought I could sleep through a girl talk.” 

Gwen snorted and Shelly grinned, “Hey Kyo, since you’re awake...” 

“Oh my God, no” Marissa laughed. 

“What? I just thought he’d be up for a little dare.” 

Gwen cocked a brow as Kyo shrugged, nonchalantly rubbing his face, “Sure, whatever…” 

“Great! You just have to kiss Bobby.” 

Kyo had been rubbing his face with his hands before pausing and parting his fingers to stare through at her, “…Que?” 

They all giggled and Gwen snickered, “I don’t know if _Kyo_ is down with that kind of thing, Shelly.” 

“Wait, Bobby is a guy, right?” 

Shelly laughed, texting, “Yes, Bobby is a guy and Kyo agreed so he can’t go back now.” 

Kyo just kind of stared and there was a knock at the door. Shelly answered and Bobby entered, looking confused, “Uh, I thought this was a strictly ‘guys-can’t-be-here’ thing. What’s going on?” 

“W-wait” Kyo suddenly blurted, “I-I don’t really _like_ guys like that.” 

Bobby cocked a brow before closing his eyes, rubbing his temple, “Shell, did you tell them something?” 

“That you like men too?” 

“Damn it, Shell.” 

She waved a hand, “Anyway, you have a dare. You and Kyo have to kiss.” 

“No!” whined Kyo, grabbing the blanket he had and hiding beneath it. 

Gwen smirked wider and Shelly looked pouty, “I didn’t ask him to jack you off, jeez!” 

“ _Shell_!” 

Kyo shivered and Shelly snorted, going over to grab his arm and seating him on the end of the bed, his eyes widened, mortified. Bobby didn’t seem ultimately that pleased about it either though kissing Kyo might not have been the reason why. Shelly pouted more and hugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think that it’d _bother_ you.” 

He just grumbled some and she kissed his ear, saying something silently which he responded with a sigh and eye roll, “Fine.” 

“Uh, I hope that means we’re not kissing” coughed Kyo. 

“Not by a long shot.” 

Gwen couldn’t help laugh as her husband of sorts actually uncharacteristically blushed as him and Bobby exchanged a very long awkward look. 

“…Can’t I like, streak down the hallway or something?” Kyo questioned after a moment, never actually breaking his stare. 

They all laughed and Shelly snorted, “Come on! A kiss. It won’t kill either of you.” 

Kyo groaned, his _entire_ face growing red, and Bobby sighed. Shelly cocked a brow, “What? You don’t think Kyo’s cute?” 

Bobby sent her a look, “I think I’ll leave that unanswered.” 

Kyo buried his face in his hands and pushed his hair back, his face still pink before he glared at Gwen, “Can’t you act in my defense?” 

Gwen blinked sweetly, “But you’re not gay, right? What does it matter if you kiss a guy?” 

He leered at her and turned back to Bobby who just shrugged. Kyo commented: “I hate all of you.” 

They giggled and Kyo squeezed his eyes shut _tight_ and Bobby did inch a tad. Gwen couldn’t help laugh as Kyo did open one eye partially, probably hoping this was a nightmare. Groaning loudly, he just leaned forward that last few inches and pressed his lips to Bobby’s. 

Gwen was honestly a little shocked he went through with it for something like a dare but he pulled away and made this weird squealy sound as the girls cheered, laughing and clapping, burying his face into the bed and shivering. Even Bobby smirked. 

“I’m not all that impressed.” 

“Ah!!” 

Gwen laughed and stroked his back, “It’s okay, honey.” 

Shelly grinned, “Well, since you went through with it, I guess you can pick something?” 

Disgruntled, Kyo looked dreary and shook his head. Bobby coughed, “Girl-on-girl.” 

Gwen leered at him and Kyo actually turned over on his back, intrigued, “Indeed, you may be on to something. Shell and Gwen, now.” 

Shelly snickered and Gwen sighed, rolling her eyes, “I don’t know.” 

But they just laughed it off anyway, kissing each other on the lips at ease, and Kyo grunted, “What the hell kind of kiss was _that_?” 

“Like the one you gave Bobby?” countered Rachel with a grin. 

“Touché, but that's _so_ not how it's done.” 

Gwen leered as Kyo attacked Shelly who squealed as he kissed her with a lot of tongue apparently. Bobby cocked a brow and Shelly laughed as he pulled away, “I don’t know if that was _kosher_ with our SO’s in the room.” 

“Oh, so it’d be kosher if we weren’t?” questioned Bobby dryly. 

“Aww, don’t get jealous, baby. You know I have kisses for my favorite” Kyo remarked, cooing. 

Gwen cocked a brow and her eyes widened as Kyo crawled past _her_ to tackle Bobby and kiss him like he had Shelly. The girls squealed in delight and even Gwen’s stomach hurt as she tried to fight laughing. Leave it to him. Kyo turned over on his side and laughed, curling in a ball, “Oh, that feels _so_ wrong.” 

Shelly chuckled, “Well, that’s great.” 

Bobby was now a bit flustered while Kyo grinned a little and grabbed Gwen, “I’m _kidding_. C’mere.” 

She smirked as he kissed her warmly, everyone cooing. Gwen smiled as he pulled away, shaking her head. Her husband was such a weird. 

Michelle grinned, eating a cherry, “Best honeymoon ever.” 

Gwen lied on her back and listened to all of them talk. Roy was eventually called over so he could join the randomness. He sat next to his wife, rubbing her still flat belly. She smiled, sipping a drink, as she glanced at Kyo whom was talking with them pretty normally, his face shifting a little when his nose wrinkled or he snickered and laughed. 

…She felt relieved. 

Packing her things when they all finally decided to split for the night, she glanced at Kyo who was lying on the bed, his lids drooping. Gwen remarked shyly, “I’m glad you get along with my friends.” 

“They’re good people” he yawned faintly. 

“I know that but after everything their parents said--” 

“Nah, just because their parents say something doesn’t make _them_ like that, right?” Kyo smiled faintly. 

“Yea” she agreed, snapping the clasps to her suitcase shut. 

He stood and stretched, wiping his eyes before gazing at her softly, “Sure you don’t want to stay though? I mean, I’ll stand outside the church and make sure that jackass doesn’t even look at you the wrong way.” 

“No. Michelle actually got depressed when she thought about her wedding tomorrow” Gwen smiled sadly, “I’d rather think of the one today as her real one.” 

Kyo was silent before grabbing her hand, “And do you want her to be depressed? You being here might make her happier.” 

Gwen smoothed back her hair and shrugged awkwardly, “I can ask her.” 

He kissed her and nuzzled against her neck sweetly as she hugged his shoulders. It almost made her cry. This was what their quasi-honeymoon should have been like all along. _This_ had been what she expected. 

Even though she was loathe to interrupt what Michelle and Roy were _possibly_ doing, she called and asked if she wanted her to stay. 

“Honey, I don’t want you to stay for that nightmare” muttered Michelle, “Don’t worry, I won’t be depressed at all. I’ll just recall today and it’ll all be worth it.” 

“Okay” murmured Gwen, rubbing her face, “Only if you’re sure though.” 

“I’m sure, really!” 

Gwen thought she heard Roy say something in the background and she smiled, “Take care of your husband. I’ll talk to you later.” 

“Absolutely!” 

Laughing faintly, she clicked off and wondered about the future now as she watched Kyo sleep a little. She’d cut ties with this ‘polite society’ in less than a heartbeat if she had the opportunity. She was more than ready to not talk to her mother for a very, very, _very_ long time. And to be frank, she was ready to never step foot in Cali again. 

Resting her ear on top of her ‘husband’s’ chest as she gazed up at his profile in the moonlight, she felt like things had changed so dramatically since she’d met him, including herself. She didn’t have it in her to be so uptight and angry about everything, conceiving it to be an insult to her gender. She’d never stop fighting inequality. Funny how this trip made her realize just how much of it could be bred beyond just sexism. 

Stroking Kyo’s side softly, she closed her eyes and counted his heartbeats. Tomei-sensei would murder her for having become such a 'girl', for becoming so possibly attached to a man. 

But she didn’t honestly care, she...liked this man. 

…But the future still felt like an unsettling place. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 


	14. Lesson Fourteen

_That stupid bitch._

_Sara Douglas’ parents came back to the U.S. so infuriated...WITH HER._

_Seething, asking sweetly if she could go visit her sister before college started, she packed her bags months ahead of time for the trek. She was sly, she’d give her that. Gwen was a smooth talker though her parents just turned bright red when she asked why they didn’t believe her._

_So she’d figure it out. Gwen wasn’t going to get away with this and spoil her fun._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

So his sister’s engaged. Grr. He had a baby nephew which was just _crazy_. 

…And, of course, his Gwen. 

Kyo swallowed absently as he sleepily turned the slightest bit, hugging Gwen’s body closer to him, the blonde woman murmuring rather cutely, snuggling against him. It was too nice. 

They’d been working on it for almost a year, their ‘trial relationship’, and he knew he wanted it. She, he wasn’t so sure, but he liked waking up beside her, seeing her first thing in the morning and the intimacy. He wasn’t sure if it was enough, but… 

She pressed her cheek against his chest, murmuring what he could construe as his name. 

Oh God, he liked it. 

“ _Kyo…”_

__Gwen stared at her homework, her eyes kind of almost glazed over as he read a book. He glanced at her before smiling lopsidedly, reaching out and stroking a strand of hair out of her face. “You okay? What’s up?  
  


“ _I think I’m going to skip school tomorrow” she mumbled, slouching, “I’m overwhelmed.”_

“ _What a bad little girl!”_

_She leered at him and he chuckled, leaning down and nipping her ear, “I’m kidding, silly. You deserve a break too.”_

_Gwen sucked her cheek and looked at him cautiously, “You think you can take a break too?”_

_He stared at her, surprised, “You want me to play hooky with you?”_

“ _N-no! Just forget it, it’s a bad idea!”_

_He laughed and grasped her wrist, pulling her up to sit in his lap, “I think it’s a fantastic idea. We can sleep all day. I haven’t done that in a while.”_

_She rested her cheek against his shoulder and he hugged her, “Okay, that sounds good…”_

He sighed, glancing at the clock. It was only six. No wonder he was still drowsy, he muttered to himself, closing his eyes to fade back to sleep. 

Going off what they’d had thus far, he wanted it. He wanted it bad. But what did she want? 

He jumped, startled, when the doorbell rang about twenty minutes later and squinted, his eyes burning a bit from the pervasive light. The hell? Gwen grumbled and groaned, whining, when whoever actually rang again. 

“I bet it’s one of your crazy relatives” she muttered. 

He grunted and sat up, rubbing his face, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. Well, if that was the case, they’d know death in the next second. 

Gwen grabbed the hem of his pants and scowled, “Come back to bed. You’re taking my warmth.” 

He yawned sleepily and leaned over before suddenly picking her up. She squealed, kicking him. “NOOOO!” 

“Here, this way you stay warm.” 

“I’ll kill you!” 

He snickered and kissed her temple as he walked down the steps with her, setting her on her disgruntled feet when he got closer to the door. Opening to the unwelcome visitor, his eyes widened when he saw who it was, as did Gwen’s. 

“…Sara?” 

They younger Douglas smiled, “Hi, Kyo. Hi, Gwen.” 

Gwen rubbed her face, shaking her head rapidly as if this were a dream, “What are you doing here? Don’t you guys know how to _call_?” 

She giggled, waving a hand, “Oh, it was insanely impromptu, sis. I’m starting college next week so I wanted to visit while I still had time.” 

Gwen didn’t seem to buy it but Sara yawned widely, “I’m so sleepy though.” 

Kyo yawned in response and courteously took her bag, waving a hand, “C’mon, you can rest in the guest room.” 

Sara’s brow furrowed, “…Guest room?” 

Gwen’s eyes narrowed at her and Sara suddenly blinked, “Oh, you guys sleep together, that’s right. I’m silly.” 

Gwen glared after her sister as Kyo got her settled. What was that girl up to now? Starting to call her father to demand what was going on, she ultimately decided to wait before going upstairs herself. She found Kyo already settling himself back into bed and outstretched his arms. “Come here. It is chilly.” 

She snorted and crawled into bed, starting to ignore his attempted embrace since they could have just left her out there but squeaked when he wrapped his arms around her anyway, playfully nipping her neck. 

“Ignore me, will ya’?” he said with mock-disgruntlement. 

Snickering, she rested her head against his chest and watched him fall to sleep again. She rather liked watching him sleep in a non-creeper way anyway. He just looked so calm and innocent, like the face of a child. 

She liked that they were together. She liked that they did things together. And not just random couply things but things. Like she’d said about that asswipe of an ex of hers, he knew how to pick things she’d enjoy and do things that made her happy. And the difference? Kyo was in tune with what made her happy, not just doing it because it was something she seemed to enjoy, if that made any sense. Recently, he did something that just sent her into a weird blissfully ecstatic joy: He bought her a horse! 

He’d had her blindfolded which she was naturally apprehensive about but led her towards somewhere. He whispered into her ear a small countdown before uncovering her eyes. Next to his horse, Yuri, was a beautiful brown horse, a male. He grinned, “He’s all yours, baby.” 

She glanced at him, confused, before glancing back at the horse and realizing. She gawked. ”Wh-what? R-really?” 

He chuckled, “Yup, he’s yours. They called him 'Byron'.” 

“Ah!” 

Her parents allowed the dogs but the horse? No, they said they weren’t going to humor her on that one even though a lot of upper class parents had horses. But now… 

She walked up to the horse and stroked it’s nose, the large animal making a snort nose but seeming content. Biting her lip, she fought a spaz attack and practically sprinted into Kyo’s arms and kissed him happily. She was like a little girl, she thought with a sigh, happy because she finally got her pony. But whatever, she didn’t care. 

Her mother and her hadn’t talked in months since that whole Hawaii debacle. The woman called her and yelled like there was no tomorrow that she was the most rude, disrespectful, embarrassing, heartless daughter _ever_ , leaving her friend’s wedding for her own selfish reasons. 

Gwen almost took that to heart, bursting into tears, because she could have stayed for Michelle’s wedding but then she remembered her mother and every other elder there had tried to pimp her out to a guy that pretty much designed a plot to rape her. Thanks but no thanks. Blake may have millions he’d inherit and never have to work a day of his lousy life but she’d stab herself through the eye before she even looked at him again. Blake was not who she wanted and never would be. 

She closed her eyes and snuggled into Kyo’s side. She preferred her Kyo. 

‘Her’ Kyo? Really? When had she grown possessive? 

If a man claimed her in such a way, she might have ranted and killed him for the slight but maybe she understood a little better now. But now, almost a year later, did she want to keep this going? She wasn’t sure. 

Whatever. Right now, there was a bigger issue at hand: Sara. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

…So they were sleeping together now. 

She expected it to be like the time before where Kyo had to rush upstairs and toss all his stuff into Gwen’s room. No, this time he just casually put her things in the room which was already clean and had _some_ of his things therebut it just looked like that was because there may not have been enough space for both of them. 

…Not cool. 

Wandering down the steps, yawning, she smelled bacon. Rubbing her eyes, she smiled some before scowling when she found Kyo sitting at the table, reading the paper, and _Gwen_ cooking. 

… _What_? 

Kyo lowered the paper and smiled, “Good afternoon. Sleep well?” 

“Uh, yea” she smiled quickly, taking a seat slowly, “Sorry for showing up so unannounced. It really was just a spur of the moment deal.” 

Gwen slammed down a plate of bacon and eggs in front of her, smiling tightly, “It’s _fine_ , baby sister. But you know, you, mama and dad just have to, um, _call_ and inform us before hand and it should be fine.” 

Kyo gave her a faint smile and she gave him his plate, sitting between the two. Sara glared a bit before smiling again. “Naturally.” 

Kyo lifted a piece of bacon to his lips, nibbling, “You want to work at the library?” 

Gwen sulked, using her chopsticks to eat her rice and eggs, “No! That’d bore me to death! I thought you had a bunch of hookups!” 

“I do a lot of hard construction” he reiterated, “Unless you want to be nailing and hammering and lifting concrete beams all day.” 

“I _could_!” she bristled. 

Kyo smirked at her, “I know you _could_ , just would you _want_ to?” 

“…No.” 

He snickered and Sara was confused. “You’re looking for a job?” 

Gwen nodded some and Kyo tapped his chin, “Well, can you do inventory and stuff? I think they were looking for help in the office store nearby.” 

She looked up, “That might be cool.” 

He nodded as well and finished off his plate, going back for his traditional seconds, before settling, “So what do you ladies want to do today?” 

Gwen looked cross, “We were supposed to lie around and sleep all day.” 

Kyo laughed, “We can play hooky in a month or two and do that. We have a guest.” 

“Oh, uh, don’t let me ruin your plans” Sara quickly added. 

Kyo waved a hand, polishing off his plate and going to rinse it off, “I’ll take one for the team and take you guys shopping.” 

“Yay!” 

Gwen sighed, rolling her eyes, “Then I’ll go take a shower.” 

Sara looked up, startled, as the woman walked away. Wait, she wasn’t going to complain? _What_? Kyo glanced after her and smiled, “Well, I’ll go get ready too.” 

She nodded and leered when he left. What the f—k was going on here? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

It was the weirdest thing ever but Kyo randomly got fascinated by clothes in the baby section. Holding up a red and black striped baby zip-up hoodie, he cocked a brow, “Hmm, you think this’d be cute?” 

Sara watched, almost intrigued, as Gwen came beside him and nodded, picking up a black pair of jeans, “I think this’d go well too.” 

“Oh yea, and get him some red Converses!” 

“I think a black band tee would be awesome.” 

Sara, more than a tad alarmed, cleared her throat, “So your baby’s going to be gothy?” 

They finally remembered her existence and looked up at her. Kyo laughed as Gwen sent her a glare, “No, no, sorry. My brother just had a baby, my nephew, Kamon.” 

Sara cooed, “Oh! Do you have pictures?” 

Kyo fished through his phone and showed a picture to her. He was a cute little thing indeed and looked rather like Kyo, she had to say. Sara grinned after a moment. 

“He’s adorable! Is that what your kids will look like?” 

“I’ll hurt you” threatened Gwen. 

Kyo snickered and pinched her side, “Be nice. I think I’ll get this stuff for him.” 

Gwen glared and opened her mouth before gasping, rushing over to a cute little jacket, “Oh! Get that too!” 

It was hard to drag her away from that area but they finally made it to the women’s section. Sara for a moment neglected her mission. She had to say, she _loved_ shopping in Japan. Gwen looked around rather bashfully this time like she actually _wanted_ to try some things on but was too scared to. 

Kyo, however, pointed out a cute black sundress, “I think that’d be cute.” 

“No.” 

“Aww, c’mon, I _love_ your legs.” 

She snorted and he stared at a mini skirt, “Hmm…” 

“Why are you looking at _short_ things?” she questioned, leering. 

“Hey, I love your legs, I said. They need to be shown off a lot more.” 

She just sighed, crossing her arms before looking apprehensive and grabbing a plaid skirt, “Maybe I can just get my parents to send me all my denim skirts as long as Sara hasn’t swiped them.” 

Sara pouted, “Can I keep the ones I like?” 

“Fine” she sighed again as she wandered into the dressing room. 

Sara cocked a brow when she disappeared into the space, “It’s funny. How’d you get her to wear non-neutral gendered clothing again?” 

“A lot has happened” he chuckled, leaning against a wall, before grinning at her, “Come on, pick something out. I promise I won’t let her wander over to men’s.” 

She winked and did return to her task but not before looking back. Gwen walked out and looked embarrassed. “It’s _short_.” 

“It’s _sexy_ ” amended Kyo, wide-eyed, and grabbed her waist, “F—k, that’s a little arousing. You wouldn’t make it out of the house wearing this.” 

She flustered and punched him lightly, “Then forget it!” 

He laughed and Sara was stunned when he actually kissed her without consequence, square on the mouth, even though it was chaste, and looked around, “Now all you need is a white mid-drift and we can screw to ‘Hot For Teacher’.” 

Gwen’s brow dropped but she laughed, “What the f—k?” 

… 

They were a couple. Kyo actually managed to convince her to wear it out after he bought it for her. They left actually holding hands. Swallowing, she hissed. So great, she was a crazed feminist bitch who hated and despised men but then she landed in a fake marriage with a hot guy and somehow her and the hot guy actually hooked up. Even when she wasn’t trying she got the best, Sara thought bitterly. 

Not if she could help it. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Hiiiii” sang Kyo, picking up his nephew, nuzzling his nose against the boys, “Uncah Kyo’s here to visit.” 

Yagami Kamon, a near duplicate of Jyun save for blue eyes, gurgled and kicked gleefully. Fujiwako poured him a tea cup of apple juice and he nodded at her, drinking it before staring into the cup with an eye closed. 

“Y’know what, baby girl? Uncle Kyo’s going to have to get you a bigger tea set because this is like taking shots of apple juice and chocolate milk. My thirst hasn't been quenched yet.” 

Yagami Jyun entered, snickering, and sat, excepting a cup of apple juice from Fujiwako, “Indeed, it’s not really that filling.” 

“Fujiwako likes her tea set!” she pouted. 

“I know” chuckled Jyun. 

Roomi entered the room with snacks, setting it on the table, and Kyo ‘mm’d’ as he bit into a sandwich, handing Roomi a bag, “Here, Gwen had a field day picking out stuff that’s way too big for him.” 

She laughed and sat down, looking through and cooing, “Aww, it’s all so adorable! When are you going to have your own baby, hmm?” 

“Like, never?” 

Jyun snickered, “I could only hope.” 

Kyo leered at his brother and Roomi pouted, “I think you two would be great parents!” 

Kyo was fond of Gwen a lot more now and they were romantically involved but her as a parent? Or hell, _him_ as a parent? 

“Well, of course I want kids but she doesn’t so we’ll see how it goes” he shrugged, “I think she’s so intensely into shopping for your baby because she doesn’t plan on having her own.” 

“Well, me and her are going to have a little chat then” Roomi said simply before looking around, “Where is she?” 

“With her sister back at home. She randomly showed up on our doorstep this morning.” 

Jyun frowned, petting his son’s hair before pulling Fujiwako into his lap, “Didn’t you tell me that she’s tried to massacre you and Gwen?” 

“Yea.” 

“So you’re not concerned that she’s over there doing that now?” 

Kyo shrugged, “We need a challenge to our relationship.” 

Roomi snorted, “You mean the feminist hating you for being a male and hating everything to do with everything _wasn't_?” 

“And, you know, her mother pretty much telling you you’re not good enough because you're Asian?” scoffed Jyun. 

Kyo sighed, “I don’t know, it was, but everything’s going so well. I don’t even know what to do now, especially since neither of us our admitting if this is something we want.” 

Kissing his nephew’s downy forehead, he also didn’t really think anything Sara could do now would ruin them. 

…Right? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“I bet you’re proud of yourself.” 

Gwen, sitting on the couch, rolled her eyes, “What?” 

Sara glared darkly at her from the recliner, hugging a pillow, “So was it all a ploy to land a new guy? Pretend to hate men, lure one, then change your game?” 

“Please, Sara.” 

“Please what?!” she demanded, “You didn’t care a thing about Kyo and when I planned on telling, you two get all touchy feely?!” 

“You punk, you told early _anyway_ ” snarled Gwen. 

Sara grunted, “And how did you pull off convincing our parents otherwise anyway? They’ve had the nerve to actually ground me and pull my credit cards because you lied your way out of it!” 

Gwen flustered, “I-I didn’t _lie_ my way out of it!”   
  


“Then how?” 

She rolled her eyes, mumbling, “They walked in on me and Kyo having sex.” 

“… _What_?” 

Gwen sent her a dark sulk. Sara did find herself laughing, “Wow! That’s _way_ more hilarious than them yelling at you for coming up with a fake marriage! Did dad threaten to castrate him?” 

“I think the angle he saw us both in made him a bit speechless at the time…” 

Sarah shivered with a cackle, wishing she’d actually been there now. Sure, Gwen getting into an endless amount of trouble was great, but for them to walk in on her in the act? Absolutely perfect. 

“Oh, that almost makes everything better” Sara sighed. 

“You’re so evil.” 

“Call it what you will” she snickered before glaring at her evenly, “Still though, it’s not fair. Do you even _love_ Kyo?” 

Gwen looked up, startled, before growling, “Of-of course not!” 

Love. 

The greeting and farewell thing was really plaguing. They had the typical ‘talk you later’ thing but it felt empty sometimes. But she knew that love was a lie so she couldn’t. 

After everything, she held a respect for Kyo that she hadn’t for anyone else. A desire to be equal to him in all that she did because he gave her that much. Blake, the dick, had been her boyfriend, the guy she went to the movies with on the weekends and screwed around with in his Lamborghini. Kyo was her husband. She woke up beside him and felt peace, like she could wake up in a vicious rage and he’d do all he could to tolerate it and she’d do likewise. He was…well, he was Kyo, a little bit more than a husband, a little bit more than a friend… 

But love? She snorted. Ridiculous… 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Being with Kyo was a curse. 

Gwen sat in her class, staring absently at her teacher as she spoke all the evils of mankind as usual. Before she saw him as, well, a person, a human being, her lover, she drank up everything her teacher in mouthfuls, thirstily. Now she wasn’t so interested in the beverage. 

She was interested in women’s rights, no doubt, and the sharper issues at hand like sexism in the workplace where a man may molest his coworker or a woman was paid sharply lower for doing the same work that a man did along with aspects such as rape culture. Those things she wanted to hear more about, to get her charged to change things for the better, to show men that they were equal. 

Gwen slouched, wondering when that had become her prime desire. Her thinking before was they weren’t equal because men always suppressed them. What she didn’t really think of was that _sometimes_ that was merely a state of mind, that men weren't always out to repress them. That, and there were larger issues at hand. They spent so much time searching for misogyny when there were so many problems right there in the open already to be dealt with. 

She supposed Kyo taught her that. 

And besides him changing her adoration of her major, the question posed by her sister had started to heavily weigh on her mind: did she love him? 

It seemed ridiculous but alas, it was still on her mind. Maybe it was just the ludicrous nature of the question altogether. She just knew she didn’t though. Hell, she thought she loved Blake but that was quite obviously a lie. If she told herself that about Kyo, that she loved him, what she told herself about Blake, it’d be a lie too. 

The teacher turned on the television to find a channel with a woman being subjected to some inhumanity. Gwen stared languidly at the screen before her brows furrowed. 

“The construction site of the East Zephyr building suffered a fatal lapse today. Breaks in the foundation led way to the building crumbling along with scaffolding. There were a total of five casualties and many injur--” 

Gwen frowned as the teacher turned before it struck her: Kyo was working on that building. 

Her eyes slowly widened as this knowledge sank in, her pulse and heart started to beat rapidly and skip. What? Collapse? How? 

Slowly, she swallowed, calming herself, and taking out her phone, texting Kyo. He was fine, probably. It might have startled him, she figured, but he wouldn't have been hurt. 

Setting the phone in her lap, awaiting it’s vibrating sensation, she frowned when, after ten minutes, nothing happened. Shaking her head, she picked it up and texted once more. Maybe the signal was bad. 

Within forty minutes, she texted maybe twenty times and hadn’t gotten a single response. 

Gaping, staring at the device, she looked up as the teacher spat on about men deserving death for the things they did to women and she was almost sick. 

What if he had gotten caught under some rubble or something? He could be hurt! 

…Five casualties? 

Growing pale, she tried to wash away the bitter taste in her mouth as she bit her lip, tapping her foot impatiently. She was overreacting. Someone would have texted her if Kyo was hurt, definitely. 

…Or maybe they just didn't know yet. 

Her heart in her throat, choking her, she glanced at the clock on her phone wildly. She should just walk out. Class was another hour but she’d never walked out, never! Tomei-sensei would get upset. 

‘But Kyo could be dead!’ hissed her brain. 

She, without thinking, whimpered, lifting her hand to her mouth. No! How dare she think that? Kyo couldn't die! Tomei-sensei was wrong, maybe _some_ men deserved punishment but Kyo never did anything that’d warrant his death! 

“…Is something the matter, Gwen?” questioned Tomei-sensei, cocking a brow at her. 

…An opening. “I’m sorry, Tomei-sensei, but I think I’m going to be sick…” 

The woman honestly looked pleased by this, “As you should be disgusted!” 

“I think I need to lay down” she mumbled weakly. 

“Go on.” 

Thanking whatever for her luck, she picked up her things, bowed, and darted from the classroom in a hurry. 

'You idiot, if anything happened to you!', she thought, losing her mind. 

…Kyo. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Kyo!” 

Kyo grimaced as he rubbed his skull, delirious. What the hell? 

It was pretty much like any other day. He was just in charge of the heavy lifting, he didn’t really usually do anything in the actual construction. When he was carrying over a huge cinder block, he so happened to look up. Oh? Was that the sky falling? 

Luckily, he wasn’t quite as dull-brained as that and darted away, yelling for everyone to follow. One guy didn’t get the message and he went back to push him away and got struck by a huge falling piece of debris. 

For a rather disturbing hour, he forgot who he was. He recalled a lot after a little while of sitting there while the doctor’s wrapped up his head on the spot with all the chaos around them. He remembered who he was, his siblings, his parents, his parents divorcing, his sibling’s spouses, and his dog, Ramen. 

Something felt like it was missing though, something that was rather important to him. He saw spaces and times, beaches, a weird gym in a high school, a track, a hotel room, a beach house. He saw those places and a person was there with him. It was a woman, he’d noted, she smelled like fresh air. But he couldn’t see her face. 

It really, really bothered him. 

“ _Kyo_!!” 

…Oh right! That was his name! He looked around for the owner of the voice and frowned as a woman ran up to him, looking horrified. She rasped, clutching her arm before glaring at him. “Y-you bastard! Wh-why didn’t you text back?” 

For a painful moment, his thoughts flickered. He had no idea who this was for all of a second. Then it all came back, all the shapes were filled in, the times, the places, the people. All the precious memories. 

“…Gwen” he gasped, enlightened. 

She stared at him incredulously and a doctor that happened to be nearby walked over, clearing her throat, “Um, do you know him, ma’am?” 

“…I’m his wife” she mumbled, sounding hurt. 

…His wife. 

Kyo grimaced. Everything was starting to reorder itself and he had to wonder if he had brain damage for managing to forget his life and his wife. Wanting to beat himself up for that, he felt dazed. But the doctor shook her head, apparently feeling the need to reassure Gwen. 

“Don’t be upset. A very large chunk of steel fell on him and he’s suffering some understandable memory loss. I’m shocked it didn’t rupture his skull though, honestly.” 

The horrified look she approached him with returned to her face before she looked to him, gaping, “He-he has amnesia?” 

“N-no” blurted Kyo, “E-everything’s starting to come back to me now!” 

“So you _had_ amnesia?” she amended, still petrified. 

“He seems coherent but I wouldn’t want him to drive” the doctor went on, “Can you drive him back?” 

“A-ah, yes” Gwen whispered. 

Wincing as she turned away quietly, Kyo followed weakly. Oh jeez. 

…He hadn’t really forgotten her, had he? That just felt assholeish. Climbing into the passenger seat, they silently rode over the bridge and arrived at the house without having spoken a word. Kyo followed after her as she rushed into the house and felt nauseous. 

It wasn’t right that someone that meant so much to him was so easily forgotten. He remembered everything he’d ever _done_ with her but her? He remembered her scent, her warmth, her essence. 

He was such an ass. 

“Gwen” he blurted out when they were inside without really thinking, “I’m-I’m sorry for-for that, that was _really_ sucky of me. I-I didn’t really forget about you, I promise! And-and I would have texted you back but-but everything was a mess—” 

Gwen had her back to him before turning around and walking over to him, reaching up to slowly uncover his head. She bit her lip and flinched when she saw the gash, swollen, a huge lump. He swallowed and drooped his head, suddenly very exhausted, “It was all a blur. I went back for a guy…I think this wouldn’t have even happened if I hadn’t.” 

She looked up, her eyes filled with astonishment before filling with anger, “ _What_? You-you idiot! Be a _man_! Think only about _yourself_! You could have been killed! Did you hear that doctor? You were within an inch of being dead! You-you dumb—stupid--! How-how could you do that to _me_?! I-I love you--” 

He gaped, shocked, as she froze, gazing at him for a moment before sobbing and running away to hide in her old room, slamming the door loudly. 

…What? 

“G-Gwen” he yelped. 

What? What? What? She…she _what_? 

Alarmed out of his mind, he walked up the stairs carefully and slid backwards against the door. She was crying. He knew Gwen wasn’t a crying type so that bugged the hell out of him. 

Covering his eyes with his hands, he shook his head. He was…such an ass… 

…I love you? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“She said wha?” 

Kyo pushed his food around his plate and felt…not hungry. Never a good sign, honestly. 

“She said she loved me.” 

Yagami Jyun had Kamon nestled against his chest, the little baby curled up contently as Jyun ate a French fry, “Well, that’s good, right? You were really worried that she never would. Thing is, why was that in the past tense?” 

Dropping his fork, giving up, he rubbed his temples, “Because I’m almost certain she’ll never tell me that again now?” 

It’d been a couple days and Gwen pretty much ignored his existence like she had done in the early days prior. Just now, she didn’t even talk or look at him. Something had happened between them. Something that neither of them understood. 

Kamon suddenly made mewing sounds and Jyun kissed his nose, “Aww, is Kamon hungry? I’d give you a fry but your mommy would kill me. Yes she would, yes she would.” 

Kyo couldn’t help smirk, cocking a brow, “You know, whenever I did think about you having kids, it was absolutely _nothing_ like this. I mean, I’m pretty sure it’s been said to, like, everyone in our family, but it definitely applies to you the most.” 

“You wouldn’t understand” snorted Jyun, nuzzling his son’s cheek, “Holding a life that you created and that you actually helped create? An actual living, breathing, thing? It’s indescribable. It’s like my artwork but a hundred times greater.” 

Kyo leaned back against the booth of the new familial hang of The Village, picking at a piece of lettuce, “I suppose I never will understand that feeling…” 

Jyun readjusted Kamon to sit in the hook of his arm and frowned, “What is the big deal? I mean, yes, it’s three very important words but three important words that I think you two should be comfortable uttering as you’ve been together for almost four years now.” 

“Gwen…doesn’t believe in love” he mumbled, “And…I don’t know if I believe I’m in love with her.” 

Jyun frowned, shaking his head, “Wha…?” 

“Hi, I’m here!” 

Kyo frowned as Hoshiko crashed down beside Jyun, taking Kamon almost immediately, “Hi, baby! Don't worry, Auntie’s here so daddy and uncle won’t corrupt you.” 

Kamon gurgled and Jyun smirked, “I swear I will not corrupt my baby.” 

Hoshiko stuck out her tongue, “So you say.” 

Kyo just sighed, slumping backwards, and Hoshiko frowned, “What’s up?” 

“He’s all freaked because Gwen confessed her love to him” Jyun said, leaning over Hoshiko’s shoulder, kissing Kamon’s temple as he giggled. 

Hoshiko cooed, “Aww, that’s so cute! Did you tell her back?” 

Drinking his lemonade, he choked and sputtered, startled by this question. “ _What_?” 

Jyun stared at him rather incredulously, “Dude, you didn’t say it _back_? I’d cry too!” 

Hoshiko laughed as the blood drained from Kyo’s face and chidingly punched Jyun’s shoulder, “Kyo shouldn’t say something he doesn’t feel, Jyun, jeez!” 

“True enough” Jyun conceded, “So do you love her, lil’ bro?” 

Kyo flushed, “I-I don’t know!” 

“I just thought of something” Hoshiko stroked her chin with her free hand, “ _Kyo_ is the only one of us that was willing to have a relationship at one time...” 

“Yet we’re in the committed not crazy relationships first” grinned Jyun lazily. 

“Shaddup!” 

“But really,” insisted Hoshiko, “Do you love her?” 

“Like I said: I don’t know! I-I know I’d do anything for her and-and that her happiness is the most important thing to me and…and I don’t know! I like being with her a lot. I-I’ve been exhausted because I haven’t been sleeping because she’s been ignoring me and I’m really upset about that and I was really angry with myself for forgetting her when I had amnesia but I don’t know if that means I love her!” 

Hoshiko and Jyun exchanged a brief glance. Jyun cleared his throat, “Let’s say we’re talking about Hoshiko.” 

“Why?” 

She leered at him and Jyun smirked, “Fine, let's take dad. Would you do anything for dad?” 

“Well yea, he’s dad” Kyo frowned, shaking his head. 

Hoshiko nodded as the woman dropped off some iced tea for her, “Would you want dad to be happy?” 

“Of course!” 

“Would you be upset if dad ignored you?” 

“Well, to be honest, I’ve kind of gotten used to that” snorted Kyo. 

Hoshiko stuck out her tongue, “Dad never ignores you, silly! He just ignores you when you're being an idiot.” 

“That should say it all, Hoshiko” Jyun laughed. 

Kyo glared at them sullenly, “You guys aren’t helping whatsoever.” 

Hoshiko laughed, “Kyo, what we’re trying to say is those things that you listed about Gwen, don’t you feel the same about a family member?” 

“Well, sure.” 

Jyun reached into a bag and got a bottle, taking Kamon and nestling him against his stomach, feeding him the bottle, cooing, “Do you love your family?” 

Kyo nodded and Hoshiko sighed, “Then isn't it possible Gwen has become a part of your family in your heart? But she's not your sister, she's not a father, she's a lover. Is it impossible to think you love her?” 

He opened his mouth but faltered and stared, shocked. Was it possible? He loved Gwen? 

… _No way_! 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

_I have to divorce him._

Gwen, now and forever, Douglas hugged her knees as she glared around the house. What happened to her? 

She adored Kyo. 

She bit her lip and clenched her eyes shut. She adored him. She adored her life. She wanted to be his wife. Everything was _perfect._ Until she admitted she loved him. 

When she thought she lost him, she nearly choked. She wanted to cry, she was ready to vomit. When he didn’t recognize her and she found out for some moments he’d forgotten _everything_ , she felt cold. And when he told her why, that he was being selfless, the whole reason she _adored_ him, she flipped. Any other man may have been an asshole, would have thought of themselves. Kyo would put his life on the line for someone and nearly die in the process. 

She loved him. She couldn’t accept it. She was _pissed_ with him. 

But why? He didn’t do anything. He was just Kyo. It was all her so why? He wasn’t the one that declared he loved _her._

… 

Stiffening as the door opened, she immediately turned away but Kyo came over and immediately bowed down on his knees in front of her. She glared but he looked up at her modestly. 

“You scared the living hell out of me with that.” 

“I’m sorry?” she hissed. 

“But! I…I just want to tell you that I’m sorry” he mumbled, “Sorry that…that I didn’t return the sentiment.” 

Gwen froze and glared, “D-don’t you dare! It was an accident!” 

“Well, accident or not, I want to” he snarled, “I’d do anything for you, okay? I’ll go away if you need me to, I'll give you space. I know you’re thinking about it but we can’t before I say it--” 

Why she was crying, she didn’t know, and she hated it. Clenching her teeth, hissing, “ _Shut up_! I don’t want to hear it!” 

“Gwen.” 

He kissed her so gingerly, so sweetly, she sobbed. She was mortified. She was going to give in and stay married, become his wife, deny everything her teacher had taught her. 

She was _changing._

But Kyo kissed her cheeks repeatedly, rasping in her ear softly, shyly, his heart beat so loud she felt it against her own. “I love you.” 

“St-stop it” she wept. 

“Why are you crying? It’s not something to cry over.” 

“It is!” she snapped, “I have _goals_ , I have _dreams._ I-I shouldn’t have asked for some dumb trial period, I don’t need this!” 

“But why can’t I be a part of your dreams?” he demanded shakily, still holding her face, “I’d never get in your way. Never.” 

“So what?! Down the road, you wouldn’t want me to have your children or stay at home and play housewife?!” 

He relaxed his forehead against hers and he trembled, “Fine, the-the kid thing will sting for a long, long time but I’d never make you do anything you didn’t want to. I-I don’t know why you keep _regressing_ to this. Why? I respect you, I care about you, I want your happiness. I _love_ you.” 

Gwen closed her eyes and started to heave heavily. “If-if you go back on me, I swear I’ll never forgive you. I’ll never talk to you again, I'll never want to _see_ you again.” 

“I won’t” he whispered. 

She choked and nodded rapidly, “Fine.” 

They both finally breathed. Stroking his locks back, he looked flushed and groaned, “That was entirely too stressful.” 

She nodded in agreement, slouching against him, his shoulder, “I was so going to divorce you.” 

“Sheesh.” 

Sheepish, she played with his shirt, “I, uh, kind of was upset that you didn’t say it either, I realized.” 

“I was dumbfounded” he admitted with a nervous laugh, “Love? Us?” 

Gwen finally smiled for the first time in days and cuddled against his side, “Why not, I guess.” 

“Yea, why not?” 

…Forgive her, Tomei-sensei. Forgive her for loving a man that stood by her when her mother and society was trying to force her to marry another man. Forgive her for loving someone that was a better at housework than she’d ever be. Forgive her for not agreeing that all men needed to die, for nearly growing sick and sobbing when she thought he’d left her permanently. Forgive her for loving someone that understood her better than anyone. Forgive her for falling in love with someone that made her happier than anything. 

Gwen Yagami. 


	15. Lesson Fifteen

“My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and they’re like ‘it’s better than yours’. Damn right, it’s better than yours!” 

…Her husband was an idiot. 

She shook her head as she smirked at him, the fellow sashayed around the house, singing that single line as he happily drank a chocolate milkshake Roomi had brought him. Someone apparently brought some when they were pitching to be advertised in the magazine her and Jyun owned. Naturally Kyo was absolutely thrilled. He was really childish sometimes but it was kind of endearing, at least. 

Yagami Gwen snickered as he leaned down and kissed her passionately, pulling away, “Doesn’t that taste _amazing_?” 

“Mm hmm” she remarked, licking her lips. 

“Damn, that’s sexy. Let’s do it.” 

She snorted and hit his leg, shaking her head, “I have _homework_ , Kyo, you horndog.” 

He sighed and slammed down on the couch, continuing to drink his milkshake. “I’m really bored lately. There’s no construction jobs so I’m stuck doing menial office tasks.” 

Gwen frowned, shaking her head, “You can’t get a permanent job somewhere you like?” 

“I’d get bored.” 

Rolling her eyes, she sighed, “I haven’t gotten bored at work yet. They just force me to do a lot of crap though.” 

He grinned, yanking at the straw, “But how’s having money that you made?” 

She stuck out her tongue before having to smile, “It’s nice. I can’t wait for Christmas either. I’m going to buy everyone something.” 

He snorted, “I’d go broke doing that.” 

“Yea, with your massive family” she snickered. 

Staring at the math question she had, she started to seethe. It didn’t make _any_ sense. Picking up the book, starting to toss it away, Kyo stopped her with an outstretched hand. 

“What are you doing?” he laughed. 

“I don’t get it!” 

“Here, let me take a look.” 

She scowled at him and didn’t see the point but showed him the page. He stared at it for a bit before sliding on the floor next to her, “Here. See, you have to do this first then plug that number into the equation.” 

Frowning, she followed his instructions and, sure enough, it actually clicked as she was doing rewrites for old homework trying to get the problems. Glancing at him as he scribbled notes for her, she questioned curiously, “You’re good at math and stuff. Why didn’t you try to do something with that?” 

He was silent before shrugging, “Just because I’m good at it means I want to do something with it.” 

Gwen suddenly realized. What did Kyo want to do with his life? Did he just aspire to be a construction worker? Really? Frowning, he yawned and kissed her temple, “I need to go start dinner. You keep working and call me if you need help, okay?” 

Nodding slowly, she stared after her husband and frowned, now curious. 

What were Kyo’s goals? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Gwen smiled as she sat on the floor of Yagami Jyun and Roomi’s home, Kamon crawling around, shoving a ball around happily with him. He was such a sweetie. 

Roomi returned with tea and sat down, sighing, glancing back at her husband who was settled on the couch, reading. “Baby, we have company. Can’t you put that down for a second?” 

“Kama Sutra is a good read, I’ll inform you” he said plainly. 

Gwen smirked as Roomi rolled her eyes, “Anyway dear, what brings you by?” 

She smiled nervously, taking the tea cup and shrugging, “Um, I kind of was wondering if Jyun knew if Kyo ever had any other goal in life?” 

“You didn’t ask him?” Roomi cocked a brow. 

She sighed. She had, honestly, “He’s really evasive about it like it’s some huge secret.” 

Jyun flipped a page and shrugged, “Honestly? He never told me.” 

Gwen slumped, “Oh.” 

“Might be why he dropped out of college, really.” 

What?! Gwen’s attention shot up, as did Roomi’s, “Kyo-chan went to college?” 

Jyun nodded, affirming this. “Yea, he actually was only a few credits from graduating too. Then one day he was just like, 'eff this', and left. Our parents were ticked as hell for a long time.” 

Gwen gaped, “He never told me that! And I’ve even said a million times that he didn’t go to college as a means of comparison or something!”  
  


“Nah, he definitely went. He was at your school too.” 

…She’d kill him! 

Kamon squealed as he ran into her and she laughed, picking him up, “Okay, okay, I’ll play with you.” 

Roomi smiled and cocked a brow, “Sooo, still no babies?” 

Gwen sulked, “No.” 

Sighing, Roomi scowled, “C’mon, it’s fun! It’s hard as hell but it’s _fun_.” 

Gwen snorted and bounced Kamon on her knee, “Thanks, but I’ll stick with your baby.” 

Roomi rolled her eyes and smirked as Jyun showed her something in his 'reading', “Give him to her, I want to try this one.” 

“Baka.” 

Gwen snickered and kissed Kamon, taking the offer of sorts. It was pretty much exactly why she was okay with just being an ‘aunt’: she’d take the baby for a night and he’d go home that next day, not eighteen years later. 

She also had a bone to pick with a certain baka college-dropout husband of hers. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Now see? That’s why you should have my baby!” 

Gwen leered lightly, Kamon curled on top of her chest as she read a book, the baby sleeping and actually mewing contently. Kyo had just walked in, looking like he’d gotten into a hardcore dirt fight. She sighed, tugging at the plaid skirt she only really wore in Mineral, she remarked: “No.” 

“It’s too cute” he sighed, stripping of his shirt, “Why’s Kam here though?” 

“Your brother got a hold of Kama Sutra.” 

Kyo cocked a brow, “Kama Sutra?” 

She looked up at him and stared, incredulous, “Don’t tell me you actually don’t know what that is?” 

“Don’t be silly, woman. I’m just thinking he’s been having sex long enough that he could probably _add_ positions to that book.” 

She snorted, flustering, throwing a straw at him before stroking Kamon’s back, “Sooo I learned something interesting about you today.” 

“Uh oh.” 

Gwen smirked at him as he shuffled upstairs, signaling 'one second', “I found a labor job and they let me work right away. I’m going to go shower really quick then you can tell me.” 

Nodding, she sighed, and blinked when Kamon started to actually mumble before looking up at her with his sleepy blue eyes. Gwen pouted, playing with his brown hair. “Why are you awake, cutie? Did your silly uncle wake you?” 

He purred and she smiled, pulling the blanket back over him and humming to him to hopefully put him back to sleep. Okay, _fine,_ there was something a _little_ attractive about the idea of a baby. But that was going off _Roomi's_ baby. Kamon really was the sweetest thing ever. He was consistent, not crying unless something truly bothered him or was wrong. And he was easily pleased by things and ultimately a very happy baby. 

She was young but she still remembered Sara. She’d cry if the sky was blue. She had not been a happy baby. So it’d be her luck that she’d have a Sara. But whatever. 

Kyo returned, clean, and yawned, slamming down beside her and rubbing his face, “Un, I’m exhausted. So what deep dark secret did you find out about me?” 

Gwen sighed airily, “You went to college.” 

Kyo paused and parted his fingers to gaze at her before grunting, “And who told you _that_?” 

“I asked! I was trying to figure out if you had some kind of long-term goal but you just got angry with me!” 

He waved a hand, “I did not! And what does it matter anyway?” 

“It’s something I want to know about you” she pouted, “And I heard you had been really close to graduating too! What happened?” 

Rolling his eyes around, Kyo sighed, “I got bored, I guess? And reality hit me.” 

“What do you mean?” she frowned. 

“What I wanted to do was ridiculous. Only a select few people make it in that field so why should I have been good enough to make it?” 

Gwen sat up, wide-eyed, holding Kamon against her shoulder, “What? What was it?” 

“Nothing” he mumbled. 

“Please?” she pressed, “Tell me! I want to know what you were interested in.” 

“It’s dumb!” 

She jutted her lip and ‘hmph’d!’ and Kyo looked sulky, “Y-you’d laugh at me.” 

“I would not.” 

“It’s stupid.” 

Gwen glared at him and he glared back before finally slouching, idly looking away, “I was majoring in Anthropology…” 

…. 

She stared at him for a long moment and he blushed, “ _See_?! You think it’s stupid!” 

“I do not! Don’t tell me what I think!” 

He looked cross and she cleared her throat, “I was _startled_ , idiot. I mean, architecture since you like working with buildings was my first thought. Or math, I could see how you might get a little bored with _that_. I just didn’t expect _Anthropology_. What field?” 

Kyo sighed and rubbed his temple, “Cultural. I really wanted to go and do all those visits into different places where I would bond with them and stuff and learn more about their heritage. I mean, it went along with my love of traveling and I am sincerely interested in other cultures so I thought it’d work.” 

“But that’s a great idea!” she insisted, “Why’d you think it wasn’t?” 

Kyo pulled his ear awkwardly, “I-I dunno. I guess because no one ever told me it was a good idea.” 

“Your brother didn’t even know what you were in school for” she sighed. 

Kyo rolled his eyes before sighing gravely, “I guess. But it doesn’t matter.”  
  


“It does!” she said, feeling rather excited now. 

She’d always assumed her husband had no goals. He just seemed happy to do whatever happened to come his way and, well, that was okay but still! 

“No” Kyo stated plainly, picking up his phone off the coffee table. 

“What?” she scowled, “I didn’t say anything.” 

He snorted, “It doesn’t take a psychic to know what you’re thinking, Gwen. I’m not going back to school.” 

Glaring, she demanded, “How many credits were you off?” 

“I think it was about nine.” 

“That’s not even a full semester of school!” 

Kyo grunted, “Let it go, Gwen.” 

Gwen pouted, eyes narrowing at him, “C’mon.” 

“Gwen, obviously I wasn’t that passionate about it.” 

Jumping up, walking over to sit on his knee, she frowned, “But you are! You always talk about how much you loved traveling and stuff and you get this glow in your eyes. Don't play it off.” 

He briefly gazed at her and shook his head, sighing, “Regardless, Gwen, I can’t go and do work-studies now.” 

“Why not?” she frowned. 

“Because I’d be gone for like a year or more. I’m married now. I don’t want to do that to you.” 

That was extremely troubling. She fought getting married for, well, that reason. She thought her husband would get in the way of her plans and whatnot, trying to hinder her. And thus far, Kyo was extremely supportive of her. But she was hindering _him_? 

She started to sulk and Kyo groaned, stroking her hair absently, “It’s okay, baby.” 

“I want you to go back” she said simply. 

He cocked a brow at her and rolled his eyes, “Gwen, c’mon.” 

“I do! It’s kind of sexy” she admitted, pinking a bit and biting the index finger of her free hand. 

Kyo’s brows furrowed and he smirked, “Really, Gwen? I have to admit, that was a nice play but no.” 

Gwen pouted and nipped at his neck. He laughed lightly, “Stop it, woman. Not in front of the baby.” 

She opened her mouth to tell him Kamon was sleeping but gazed down at the baby still in her arms. He was wide awake and staring at them with his big baby blues. Staring at him a moment, she remarked. “Okay, there’s the _other_ reason not to have a baby.” 

Kyo laughed again and kissed her before kissing Kamon’s forehead, hugging them to him, “I suppose.” 

Gwen frowned and pinned Kyo with a petulant look, “Pwease, Kyo? At least for _me_?” 

Kyo’s eyes narrowed a bit at her and he sighed miserably, “Fine. I’ll go talk to Wilson-sensei tomorrow, I guess. Wait, is he still there? Ugh.” 

She clapped after placing Kamon in his arms, “I’ll go check the website!” 

Watching her skip off, Kyo cocked a brow after her, really confused about why she wanted him to go back to college. Okay, fine, he loved college, it was heaven. The Japanese teachers still kind of demanded lines of respect but foreign teachers? They were so laid back, joking, cursing, laughing, and treated the students like, well, equals. They even let the students call them by their first name. 

His classes fascinated him once he got past all the stupid required courses he’d never use again. Wilson-sensei, a.k.a. Matthew, had been really devoted to him studying. Like, he went out of his way to make sure Kyo would graduate _and_ do a lot of studies in the field. He went drinking with him, discussing his adventures in the Amazon jungles with different cultures and the outback of Australia. 

Kyo had really wanted to go to South America, Mexico, areas like that. Matthew really wanted to help him do that, to accomplish those goals. 

But know why else he loved college? Drunk girls. Oh, no wonder Gwen hated him. 

Unfortunately he did get bogged down with the ‘politics’ of college too. Staying out until five in the morning drinking and doing pot then turning around and going to an 8 a.m.? Ha ha, no. He pretty much almost failed everything that last semester he was there while his stupid brother and sister were making Dean list. Leave it to them to make him look bad. 

What really sucked was Jyun partied harder than he ever had. He’d never forget that one party his brother invited him to where he was downing dangerous amounts of vodka, doing keg stands every hour, _had_ to have slept with at _least_ six girls there, and uh, actually danced a lot. 

Jyun also invited him to some fifteen minute speech he had to give the next day. Kyo only went to laugh at his hungover exhausted brother only to listen to Jyun give like the best speech ever without missing a beat or anything. Damn his perfect siblings! 

In retrospect, he hadn’t gotten bored; he’d gotten discouraged. It was an easy thing to do when he tried his hardest but still wanted to hold onto his youth and have fun. He left because he lost himself along the way. 

He was going to humor Gwen though. It wasn’t like anything was going to actually happen. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Wah, he’s so pretty!” 

Got to love unabashed college girls. 

He smiled sheepishly as he wandered through the school that had changed very, very little. He remembered sprinting down the hall, not wanting to miss his teacher’s lectures on cultural dances and whatnot. How devoted he’d been at points. 

Looking through the door of a lecture, he stepped back when a crowd pushed past him. 

Sure enough, there was his former teacher. Matthew was speaking rather vividly and excitably, just like Kyo remembered. It made him smile. 

Taking a seat in the back as not to draw attention, he had to admit to himself that he got extremely excited. He remembered every single thing about this topic and he had to fight answering. Tapping his toe lightly, he bit his lip and was really startled. The idea of actually coming back suddenly seemed really exciting. 

Course, that was him in a nutshell. ‘Want to go skydiving, dude?’ ‘Hells yes!’. ‘Want to go streaking down the beach?’ ‘Absolutely!’. ‘You should go back to college, Kyo, it’s sexy!’ ‘Yea!’. He smirked at that inner assessment. Oh, if only all of it wasn’t true. 

Matthew dismissed class and Kyo crossed his arms, staring at the guy as he stacked his papers. He glanced up and recoiled, shocked. 

Matthew Wilson was a brunette, actually pretty young looking, appearing to be in his thirties. With amber eyes, he probably was a favorite amongst the women college folks. He was pretty attractive. Oh, Bobby had made him gay. 

Kyo stood and the man laughed, walking towards him, “Kyo?” 

“Hey Matt” he grinned lazily, “I’m back!” 

The man shook his hand congenially and snorted, “Oh really? Did you realize that dropping out with, like, _two_ classes left might have been the single most stupid thing _ever_?” 

Kyo laughed. Matt had nearly clocked him in the head when Kyo dropped out with, as Gwen said, little less than a semester of classes left. “Well, maybe. I’m supposed to be reconsidering finishing now. My wife forced me.” 

Matthew’s eyes bugged, “Your _what_? You got married?” 

“Oh jeez, it’s such a long story” he groaned, “It’s hijinks only I would get in.” 

Matthew smirked and glanced at his watch, “I don’t have a lecture for another two hours. Want to hit 341 Café and chat?” 

“Ah! I forgot about that place!” 

Matthew snickered and led the way, “So, what happened and why are you hitched?” 

“Well, short of it is my mother tried to arrange a marriage for me and I got all angry and went to a bar and met this other woman whose parents were trying to arrange a marriage for her and we decided to get married to stick it to our parents” Kyo paused with a sigh, “Thing is, we, uh, were the ones are parents were trying to arrange the marriage with.” 

Matthew laughed, “Oh God, you idiot. And what, now you’re stuck married to her?” 

“Actually, I love her” grinned Kyo some, “We’re probably going to stay married.” 

“Wow” Matthew shook his head, taking a seat in the café when they arrived, “Just like that, huh?” 

“Oh, there was no ‘just like that’ to it. We hated each others guts at first but she grew on me.” 

Matthew ordered a latte after Kyo finished his before questioning: “She hot?” 

“Gorgeous” Kyo affirmed, clicking on his phone to a picture he had of her and showed it to him. 

He stared at the phone and his eyes widened. Silent for a moment, he looked up at Kyo, “…You can’t be serious.” 

Kyo sulked, “Are you insulting my wife?!” 

“Your _wife_ is like the number one favorite student of the most crazed feminist I’ve ever met!” 

“Oh yea!” Kyo exclaimed, enlightened, before pressing a finger to his lips almost playfully, “Shh, you can’t tell anyone she’s married.” 

“That’s nuts! Are you sure she’s not plotting to kill you?” demanded Matthew. 

Kyo stroked his chin, “Well, she’s had plenty of opportunities so I’m pretty sure. Course, she still threatens me a lot for my stupidity.” 

Matthew snickered at that, “Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure _any_ wife you’d have would do that.” 

Kyo stuck out his tongue and Matthew shook his head, “And she wants you to go back to school? Really? And risk the chance of Tomei-sensei finding out?” 

Kyo sipped the fruit tea, moaning. Oh, he forgot about this place and how delicious everything was. “Huh? Oh yea, I mean, what can she do?” 

“Expel your wife from the program.” 

He paused with the cup to his lips and stared at Matt to make sure he was serious but he simply drank his coffee, looking as serious as a heart attack. “What?! You can’t expel someone for being married!” 

“She’d find some reason” Matthew rolled his eyes, “I mean, if she’d married a woman but unfortunately...” 

“I’m sorry I have a penis” snorted Kyo irritably. 

“No you’re not” smirked Matthew knowingly. 

Kyo couldn’t help grin, “Well…” 

Leaning back, he frowned and shook his head, “I don’t want that to happen.” 

Matt drank his coffee, his brows tweaking upward, “Just so you know, you really have no reason to run into her or anything. That’s a whole different section of school.” 

Kyo sighed, rubbing his face, “Dude, I am in my freakin’ thirties. I can’t go back to school.” 

“People in their _seventies_ come back to school, man” Matt pointed out before smiling, leaning back, “I know your real issue: You’d come back, get all hyped again, but it’s 'game over' when you’re married.” 

Kyo sulked, “It’s not that bad, you player.” 

Matthew chuckled, “I know. I’m engaged.” 

“Oh sweet, congratulations! Who is she?” 

“A fellow anthropologist” he sighed with a smile, “So it means that, well, we can go and do the whole work-study thing together. You, on the other hand, would be leaving your wife here for a year.” 

Matthew then glared a glare of a crazed professor, “And why is it a year and not six months?” 

Kyo rolled his eyes around, “Because you’re not going to get enough critical data in six months. The natives may really have just gotten used to you by the sixth month period and you could be passing up on stuff to come.” 

Matthew nodded, appearing pleased, “It’s tough on a married guy, Kyo. I’ve had constituents tell me they’ve had to divorce often because of it since they had affairs and whatnot in the country they’re studying.” 

He cocked a brow, sipping a refill of his tea, “Isn’t that kind of violating whatever the rules are?” 

“Doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen” he shrugged. 

“Well, believe it or not, I do have self-control” snickered Kyo, “I just still couldn’t do that to Gwen.” 

Course, he didn’t really ask her what she thought. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Ah! Wilson-sensei is with another really hot guy!” 

Gwen Yagami? Did that even flow right? Whatever. She frowned at the girls who were peering into the café on campus and looking at Wilson-sensei. 

She'd kind of honestly forgotten but she had had him her sophomore year for prerequisites. Of course, she cursed men back then so she didn’t even register him, but… 

Feeling excited, she thought maybe she could walk in and ask if he remembered Kyo. She’d have to be pretty stealthy. If any of her classmates from Tomei-sensei’s class saw her… 

Walking towards the bathroom, she sighed miserably. Lately, she’d really been beating herself up. The whole feminism thing? It was starting to get in the way of her life when it shouldn't have. It should be enriching it, not making her ashamed for living the way she chose. She’d even had to quickly walk away from Kyo once when she saw a girl from her class walk into a bar with her girlfriend. How she wished her teacher was like the woman they met at Kyo’s grandfather’s party, Eileen. She could take pride in having a man she loved. 

Man, that was still weird. 

Sighing again, she went into her bag and took out the cute shirt Michelle sent her, a black silky v-neck that showed off a lot but it was pretty. Pulling it on and putting on the cropped hoodie Rachel sent before pulling her hair from her customary ponytail, she pushed the hood over her head. Digging around in her bag, she found her black Yagada scarf and wrapped it around her neck before finally putting her Oakley’s from Shelly on her face. Okay, she looked different enough. Onward! 

Walking into the café after taking a breath, she paused and was alarmed. 

Wait, the other hot guy was Kyo? 

He was laughing with the teacher, the both of them appearing completely comfortable in each other’s presence. So he really did know him…Kyo looked up and glanced behind him, as if sensing her presence, cocking a brow, “Um, hey, super spy.” 

She grunted and blushed, slowly walking over. Kyo pulling a chair out next to him for her. Frowning, she sat down beside him and Kyo kissed her temple, “Matt, this is Gwen.” 

“Ah yes, I had Douglas-san for a class” Matthew smiled politely. 

“Hey, _Yagami_. She’s my old lady” Kyo pointed out. 

Gwen stuck out her tongue at him and Matthew’s brow furrowed, “Yea, speaking of _old._ ” 

“Shut up! I know I’m almost ten years older than her!” pouted Kyo. 

Gwen snickered and Matthew laughed, “Well, age is just a number. Though that’s a pretty big effin’ number.” 

“What-everrrr” Kyo stuck out his tongue again. 

Gwen blushed and Kyo sipped his tea, “So yea, I’ve talked to him, Gwen. He’s as useless as ever.” 

“I didn’t tell you to drop out of school” the man snorted, “Tell her the points I’ve brought up.” 

“Something about game over and six months and unethical affairs.” 

Gwen’s brow dropped and Matthew just stared at him, “…I forgot how ADD you were.” 

“Who are you again?” 

Matthew just smirked, “Anyway, I said that Kyo can come back to school if he’d like.” 

She looked up, excited, “Really?” 

“Of course. For as silly as he is, I always felt he had potential and never had been so inclined to kill someone when he just decided to drop out” snorted Matthew. 

Gwen clapped her hands together happily and Kyo rolled his eyes around, “Yea, but Gwen, if I _did_ do it, I’d want to, you know, do work-study programs. I’d be gone years at a time, like I mentioned before. A whole year of me being in a country days away from Japan? Would you really be okay with that?” 

Looking back from a different point, she really wished she’d thought about what Kyo meant because really, she had just felt kind of offended and worried at that point. 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” she demanded, “I wouldn’t cheat on you!” 

Kyo looked alarmed, “That wasn’t really what I was implying, baby! And-and I wouldn’t cheat on you either! I just--I don’t know, I thought you’d like, miss me or something.” 

“Of course I would” she assured, “But c’mon! It was your goal, right? I want you to have that.” 

Kyo looked at her nervously before smiling a little, “Well, there’s the other thing. Wouldn’t your teacher freak if she found out about me?” 

Gwen paused. Okay, that, she hadn’t really, really thought about. Though she really should have, she just disguised herself in order to make sure the woman didn’t come across the fact she talked to men. 

Sighing, she tapped her nails against the table, “I think it’ll be fine. We just can’t associate while on campus.” 

Kyo pouted, “I can’t walk around holding my girlfriend’s hand?” 

Gwen smirked, “Is that the _only_ reason you’re upset?” 

“Well, I guess so, actually” he said thoughtfully, stroking his chin, “It’s not like we’ll be anywhere near each other. All my remaining courses are specific to the Anthropology building.” 

“Then there you go” she said simply, “Do it. If you’re better at math than I am, you shouldn’t be just skipping around moving bricks.” 

He pursed his lips, sending her a mock-sulky look. Matthew smiled some. “You know, I was kind of wondering how a Women's Studies major could, uh, put up with _him_ , but it does kind of work.” 

“What gives you that idea?” smirked Kyo, “We could be faking.” 

“Well, you’re letting her eat your cake, for one thing.” 

Gwen paused mid-mouthful and Kyo glanced at her, wide-eyed, before snickering, “Ah, my wise sensei, indeed that’s my ultimate sign of devotion.” 

“Baka” snorted Gwen, pinking a bit. 

“You’re probably going to have to take some reentry exams” sighed Matt, “Or hopefully. You actually, uh, took the proper steps of dropping out, correct?” 

Kyo nodded and Matthew returned the gesture, “Good, good. I have to go get ready for my next lecture.” 

He pulled out his business card and handed it to him, “Call me tomorrow. I’ll see what I can get set up for you tonight.” 

“Thanks man.” 

He nodded at Gwen before taking his leave and Kyo sipped his tea, sighing, “So we’re really doing this, huh?” 

“It’ll be great” she smiled. 

…Right? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Okay, now he remembered why he dropped out of college: Homework. 

Sitting in the library, groaning, he rubbed his face. He’d been sitting here for _three_ hours. The three longest hours of his life, in fact. And he was hungry!! He wondered how angry Gwen would get if he just decided to drop out again… 

Naturally, he was kidding. He was having a blast! He’d forgotten that rush when walking with the masses to class. He’d forgotten how fun it was to heckle protesters. Of course he was just giving them a hard time for kicks and giggles. He’d forgotten how fun it was to argue with Matt on topics, something the man told him after class he’d truly missed. In the years Kyo’d been gone, he’d only had a few students that just gave him that much of a hard time and pushed his thinking. 

Kyo smiled. He was having fun. When he told his dad that, the man smacked him over the head. 

“ _OW! What?! Isn’t that a good thing?!” he’d demanded._

_Nelly Yagami snorted, “What would have been good is if you’d stayed and FINISHED when you were there. Now you’re effin' 32!”_

_Hoshiko, his baby sister, laughed as he pouted, “Don’t give Kyo such a hard time, daddy. It is a good thing that he’s going to get his degree.”_

“ _I think I’m with dad on this one” smirked Jyun, tossing grapes in his mouth, “So can we FINALLY hear what the hell you’re majoring in, punk?”_

“ _Cultural Anthropology” Kyo said simply._

_Jyun paused mid-throw, his mouth still agape, and Hoshiko just stared at him. Nelly cocked a brow before shaking his head._

“… _What?”_

“ _Cultural Anthropology” Kyo answered haughtily, “I am going to study different cultures and lands.”_

_Jyun ate his grape and shook his head, “Wow. Can’t say I saw that one coming.”_

“ _Me either” frowned Hoshiko, “I mean, it’s a really good choice of major for you, no doubt! It’s just…weird?”_

_Kyo sulked but his father patted his shoulder, “Good luck, son.”_

Yea, he was pumped. 

“Yagami-san!” 

He looked up and smiled as a gaggle of girls and a few dudes meandered up, sitting with him. They tended to kind of stick to him since he seemed to know a lot about the subject and made rather impromptu study groups whenever they spotted him. He was cool with it though, it kind of urged him along quicker through this mass amount of homework. 

Nimichi, one of the guys, yawned as he tapped his pen against the table as everyone chattered about the subject. “This is so boring.” 

Admittedly, Kyo wasn’t all that fond of the biological aspects of Anthro. It’s not like it wasn’t interesting, it was just he knew what he wanted to focus on and that was culture. 

But eh, what could he do? 

“Kyo-san! After this, we’re going to a party. Do you want to come?” asked one of the girls, smiling at him rather girlishly. 

Kyo smiled back, “Uh, nah. I’m a bit too old for the college party scene.” 

“Ah, dude, you would fit in fine. It’s a keg party too, they’re always a blast. You know, with the sorority girls and all…” 

Haruka scowled at him, “Oi! Nimichi, Kyo-san is married!” 

The girls ultimately had been depressed when he admitted the fact, much to his embarrassment. But apparently that just made him more attractive? He didn’t really understand the psyche of women. Maybe he should take a course on that while he was here. 

Aya giggled, “Well, regardless, it’ll be fun! And besides, when will you ever get to go to another party like that without being a creeper?” 

Kyo laughed at that, sipping his coffee, “Mm, true enough.” 

One of the girls, Maiko, frowned and glanced back before freezing. She hissed and pulled her hood up over her head, ducking down, “Oh no.” 

Kyo frowned, “What?” 

Looking up, he was startled to find, well, his wife and the rest of her fellow feminist students. Aya looked at Maiko knowingly, shaking her head. 

“Honey, it’s totally your fault. You _knew_ you weren’t a lesbian and yet because you’ve dated all asshole men you think you’ll give it a shot only to try it with a female asshole. You just need to up your ass-radar.” 

Maiko gave her a sulky look and Kyo forced himself not to stare or cringe. His wife was wearing one of those God-awful puke green pair of military pants that hid her long graceful legs and a black t-shirt that camouflaged the fact she had a chest. He smirked at himself as he got kind of aroused, just knowing those things were there anyway. 

To their surprise, the girl he assumed Maiko gave a whirl with suddenly marched over. She looked irritated. 

“Maiko.” 

“Uh, hi, Juri” 

The woman crossed her arms, looking around the table with an air of distaste. “So this is what you want to hang around? Perverse men and brainwashed women?” 

“They’re my friends” Maiko sulked irritably. 

Why do people perpetuate stereotypes? he had to wonder, staring at the girl in an off-handed way. Of course, the idea behind a stereotype was that they were based off some sort of fact. But still, it didn’t seem right to do so and yet people actually like, lived them! Her hair was almost kind of ratty, like allow me to do all I can _not_ to take care of my hair. She wore a huge hiking vest over a shirt similar to Gwen’s and excessively large pants. Why did they choose to look so militant? What was their message? 

Kyo absently looked at Gwen, having to cock a brow a bit though she kind of summarily ignored him. 

…He kind of wanted to call out to her, yell her name with an air of intimacy showing that Gwen was still as free-spirited _and_ married. Something about this whole thing kind of irked him though. He’d gone to bed rather angry when Gwen actually walked away from him mid-conversation at the bar a while back because two of her fellow feminists walked in. 

She’d spoken as if it was reasonable that she had to walk away from him, that if they saw her, she’d get in trouble. Sure, he’d kind of joked about it to Matt that he couldn’t reveal their relationship but it’d pissed him the hell off and he pretty much chose to sleep on the couch that night. 

“ _Kyo, come to bed.”_

_He opened his eyes to narrow them at Gwen, dressed only in one of his shirts, looking disgruntled. “It’s not even that big a deal.”_

“ _Oh, I’m sorry, I guess my existence being denied by my WIFE isn’t a big deal, huh?”_

_Gwen rolled her eyes and she walked over, sitting beside him, looking awkward, “I love you. Isn’t that enough?”_

_Of course he loved hearing that but really? “If you loved me then you shouldn’t be ashamed of me” he said briskly._

“ _I’m not ashamed of you!” she countered, “I-I just can’t actually associate with you until school’s done!”_

“ _How reassuring” he stated dryly, trying to turn over so he could face away from her._

_But she caught his arm, “Kyo, please, I know it’s unfair to you. I would have probably changed a lot of things if I knew you’d come into my life and it would be a lot different but-but just for now, can’t you humor me?”_

_He wasn’t all that comforted by ‘if things were this way, then…’ but he didn’t really know how to counter. She stroked his back, his shoulders, kissed down his neck. He grumbled. “Stop it. I don’t like having to hide but-but whatever.”_

“ _Just for a little longer, I swear” she whispered._

“ _Fine.”_

“ _Come to bed?”_

_He grudgingly obliged her, the couch a lot harder than he remembered, and wandered upstairs with her. Admittedly he felt like a pig when they engaged in mind-shattering sex because he mostly got the idea she only did so to make it up to him. He didn’t want sex used in that way or for Gwen to feel she had to do that to make him feel better._

His eyes narrowed as Gwen did seem to pretend she had no knowledge that he’d ever been conceived and found he was no closer to accepting it than he had been before. Sure, he agreed on the account that he’d never really ever see her. No, he saw Gwen all the damn time and each time he felt rather worthless in the scheme of things. Not being able to actually acknowledge they had a relationship was the only thing that made this current experience suck. 

Maiko looked flustered as Juri must have spouted some more s—t while he was out of it. Everyone at the table had grown offended too and more of the feminist brigade had come over to join in the heckling. Of course, Gwen couldn’t even regard him in that manner either, it seems. 

Irritated, angry, and ultimately quite annoyed at all this, he slammed his hand on the table, bringing all immediate badgering to a stop. Smiling tightly, forced, he remarked, “I don’t think you noticed but we’re trying to study here. You know? Actually doing _productive_ work that doesn't include bullying people.” 

He might have seen his lovely wife flinch, he could have imagined it. Juri looked flabbergasted, “And what the hell are you implying?” 

“I’m implying that you need to f—k off. Maiko wasn’t bothering you when you walked by so do the damn decent thing and go away” he remarked coolly. 

Juri blustered, her face fire red and her teeth gritted so tight he was afraid they may shatter at the force, “I will stay where I want to stay! No _man_ is going to tell me what to do! I will talk to whoever I want when I please and how I want to!” 

Oh jeez, when’s the last time he had to put up with that kind of BS? Standing, shoving his things into his bag, he snarled, “So that's what you’re all about? Being a bitch? I guess you're just way above men acting like that, huh? Why don't you think about getting a new attitude and some f—king shampoo?” 

Wandering away, his group quickly following him, he felt bitter. 

…And really mortified. Gwen would murder him. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“I _cannot_ believe you!!” 

Kyo rubbed the side of his face as Gwen wailed on him, furious, “I cannot believe you’d say things like that! I thought you were _above_ that kind of asshattery, you ass!” 

Now sitting in the comfort of their home, he really, really wished he’d thought first before talking or saying anything. The moment Gwen walked in, she’d started yelling. He knew it was coming but nevertheless, it was painful. 

She laughed incredulously, “And now Tomei-sensei is going to launch a harassment claim against you! We discussed it in class!” 

Kyo rolled his eyes around, “Maiko said as much. She said she’d have a counter claim that Juri was yelling at her first.” 

Gwen’s purple eyes suddenly narrowed, “ _Maiko_?” 

“Yea?” he cocked a brow. 

“I don’t address anyone by their first name in school” she said briskly, “And after a month you’re calling her ‘Maiko’?” 

“And what the hell are you implying?” he demanded, getting irritated again. 

“Every time I see you, you are surrounded by hoards of girls” Gwen glared, “Why is that?” 

His fuse was about shot and he smiled acerbically, “Maybe it’s because they’re not afraid to actually acknowledge me.” 

She stomped her foot, “I thought we went through this!” 

“'We went through it' doesn’t mean I actually like it!” he snapped, “I should be able to say ‘hello’ to you; I should be able to hold your hand without feeling like I’m in some sordid affair! I shouldn’t have to stop talking to you every time one of your crazed classmates wanders in!” 

“So what am I, your trophy piece?” she demanded angrily. 

“You’re my _wife_! Why the hell are you so ashamed of me?!” he blazed, furious. 

He was going to lose his mind. Just when things were going so great. Just figured, really. Wheeling around, out of it, he marched towards the door. 

Her voice lacked some of the rancor as she demanded, “Where are you going?” 

“Out” he said shortly, shutting the door behind him. 

…What had he gotten himself into? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

He forgot about all this. The stale scent of drugs ran around the room, girls stripping for some errant guy’s camera to record, pretty much on-contact sex between two people who’d only spoken three words to each other: 'wanna do it?'. Alcohol flowed so heavily and it seemed to mystically appear out of nowhere. Kyo once thought this was heaven. 

Now, he was older. And married. 

He had a ball those first two hours. He did a keg stand for the first time in ten years and outlasted everyone, much to their approval. He danced, played beer pong, chatted with people. It was fine. 

But now, now that everyone was pairing off, having love affairs behind locked doors, he was pretty much alone. 

He gazed down at his wedding ring. 'Game over', he laughed airily to himself. Game over. He wasn’t so sure he minded that though. Reflecting back, he didn’t miss drinking to the point of puking. Sure, he was pretty bad at holding his booze but now he could appreciate just having a drink with his brother at the bar. Going back, he scolded himself for taking pot after seeing what it and other drugs did to Carrie. Reflecting back, he shouldn’t have treated sex as such a commodity. He didn’t really need more than one woman. 

Clenching his head, he mumbled incoherently. He was always the more ill-tempered of his siblings. Hoshiko had a temper, sure, but it was more like stubbornness. And Jyun had a temper too but it was such a weird temperament he wasn’t sure if he could call it anger. Him, he just would go nuts and spout out such venomous words. Of course he was angry his wife couldn’t treat him as her husband but she’d already told him it wasn’t her choice. Even Matt verified that Tomei could kick her out of the stupid program. 

The problem was part of him wanted to ask her to give it up. 

She was interested in social work. She could just do that. Forget all the Women’s Studies. She didn’t have to hate men anymore. Blake, the bastard, and all those toxic relationships were out of her life and she’d reformed herself into a healthy beautiful woman that knew she was above what someone told her she was. Gwen didn’t need that stupid part where they pretty much told her what to do and that everything was fine as long as it didn’t involve men. Drop it, make it a minor, he wanted to tell her. 

…But that wasn’t his right, was it? 

She told him to go back to school, to pursue a goal he’d given up because no one supported him. True enough, no one knew his goals but if someone had just said, ‘oh Kyo, you’re doing great, you’re going to graduate!’, he would have stayed. He would be writing dissertations about his travels right now. Instead, he left, and without Gwen, he wouldn’t have looked back until it was too late, when he would realize how much he’d let go. 

So for him to tell her to leave that damn 'feminist stuff' behind? He couldn’t. And it made him sad. 

“Punk.” 

Kyo jumped nearly through the roof. For a second, he thought he’d dreamed up the whole party and would wake to find himself sitting somewhere in Mineral. But nope, still foggy, still the smell of booze and sex and yet there was Jyun. 

Glaring at his older brother who’d already garnered himself attention, he stated dryly, “You have a penchant for showing up in some random places, _nii-san_.” 

Yagami Jyun snorted, dropping down on the couch beside him, and stared around with a cocked brow, “…This seems really weird. I’m feeling both nostalgia and shock that I used to do stuff like this.” 

Kyo snorted, “You and me both. Now what are you doing here?” 

Jyun blinked absently, picking a beer out of a nearby cooler, “Your wife called mine, very upset. And Roo sent me to, verbatim, ‘drag your ass home’.” 

Kyo scratched his forehead, sighing, “I was planning on leaving anyway.” 

He sent Jyun a sulky look, “But c’mon! You’d hate it too if Roomi denied your existence, wouldn’t you?” 

“I wouldn’t care for it much, nope” he allowed, “But I know my Roo and I know she loves me. I’d know she’d have her reasons.” 

Kyo winced at that, “But what if I don’t like her reasons?” 

“Gwen’s her own person, Kyo, you don’t really have the right to question them” Jyun pointed out reasonably, “And you’re your own person too. Now ask yourself: are those reasons enough to leave her?” 

“Of course not!” Kyo blurted, “I-I don’t know, I…” 

“It isn’t fair to you, Kyo, I’ll give you that much” Jyun sympathized, “But sometimes people are given a set of situations that aren’t favorable. Just be glad that, pretty soon, yours will be over. Or at least hope Gwen will get fed up with them too.” 

Kyo slouched and mumbled, “I guess.” 

“Come on, lil’ bro. I’ll get you some ice-cream on the way home.” 

“I’m not ten nor am I above accepting your offer.” 

Jyun snickered, standing, “Idiot.” 

Walking out, waving at Maiko and the gang, he considered that, well, this was for a semester. He could hate it all he wanted but he wouldn’t have to put up with it long. 

But still, something about it hurt. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _You’re my WIFE!”_

…God, she should have seen that coming. 

Sitting up, hugging a pillow as she sat on their couch, she bit her lip. She’d been so pissed when Kyo called Juri a bitch and, returning to a prior state, she felt offended as a feminist. Honestly, she was a little disappointed in her husband. 

Nevertheless, he seemed genuinely regretful when he walked in. She knew pretty well that he had a near explosive temper. As did she. 

It didn’t really make sense to her why he was upset. Okay, granted, she pretty much saw Kyo daily. That was weird, she had no idea the buildings would be so near each other. But still, she didn’t think it would bother him so much. 

She had to go there, it was just a habit she’d developed, claiming that men constantly trying to put women in subservient positions. But no, Kyo countered with the most reasonable claim ever: she was his wife. At the very least Kyo should be able to expect her to acknowledge him as human being. 

He could be anywhere, really. Off with a girl that wouldn’t have to worry about her professor kicking her out of a major, drinking, whatever. She…she didn’t want that. Hugging the pillow tighter, she almost squeaked when the door opened slowly. Kyo. 

He walked in and stared at her rather normally, “Hey.” 

“Hey” she mumbled shyly, her voice muffled by the pillow. 

Clearing his throat, he walked over and sat beside her, rubbing his face, “I’m sorry.” 

Rapidly shaking her head, she dropped the pillow and whispered, “I-I am. I’m sorry, I know it sucks of me but-but I don’t know. I’ve heard that Tomei-sensei has, in the past, somehow gotten married students of hers expelled and I’m so scared that everything will have all been in vain and--” 

He gave her a warm smile as he pressed his finger to her lips before kissing her softly, “I understand, baby, I really do. And I won’t go off the deep end again like that, okay?” 

Biting her lip, unsure, she whispered, “T-then we’re okay?” 

“We’re okay” he assured, pulling her into his side, resting his cheek on top of her head. 

“O-okay” she stammered, sheepish and relieved, “I…I’m sorry for insinuating anything about your classmates. I know you’re really good at making friends.” 

He grinned lazily, kissing her forehead, “It’s okay, I’d get a little jealous too if you somehow befriended another guy and called him by his first name.” 

Blustering, she rubbed his hand, “H-how are classes going?” 

“Awesome” he said enthusiastically, “I’m having a lot of fun and relearning a lot of stuff.” 

“So you’re glad I convinced you?” she questioned hopefully. 

“Definitely” he grinned again before nuzzling her neck, “Just don’t get worried or anything but I feel something is going to change soon.” 

“Like what?” 

“Unfortunately, it’s hard to ever know.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Milkshake is of course the infamous song by Kelis.
> 
> Now if YOU don’t know what Kama Sutra is, it’s like a book of sex positions…right up Jyun’s alley, lol.
> 
> Matt made a point in saying that for work-studies, you should go for a year. Now, I’m sure some Anthropologists may contest this but my professor spoke of a six-month stay as something of a cop out because some cultures usually take a little time to open up and by that six-month period, you may only be beginning to find out about things about that society. Just in case I have some college people who took Anthropology who are like, whaaa?
> 
> And I got to feature my first keg stand a few weeks ago (twasn’t me, I’d die) and found the whole concept rather fascinating. Basically you’re held upside down over a keg and someone has you drink beer until you kick, signaling you can’t handle anymore. Definitely the hijinks I see Jyun and Kyo in…oh, and especially Koji and Nelly, lol.
> 
> Lastly, I probably should actually review how Japanese college works but just because I’m more experienced with American, I just use that as my model. So anyone unfamiliar with how college works, Kyo said he had 9 credits left. On average, at least at my school, courses grant you three credits for passing them, meaning Kyo pretty much dropped out only needing to take three classes. Indeed, if I were Nelly and Elli, I’d be quite furious.


	16. Lesson Sixteen

Kamon giggled as he crawled around his aunt’s home. Gwen sipped tea as Roomi and Hoshiko and pretty much all the young females of the Yagami, Izumi, Hattori, and Inaba alliance, spoke vividly about something she knew would send her husband into hysterics: 

Hoshiko was pregnant. 

“Oh, I was so freaked” she laughed airily, “I thought I was sick.” 

“I’m so happy for you, sweetie!” cooed Roomi, “Now all we need to do is get Ms. Blonde knocked up.” 

Gwen stuck out her tongue, “Thanks, but no thanks.” 

Yagami Celia, Kyo’s father’s twin’s son’s wife, sheesh, smiled, “They’re a handful, that’s for sure.” 

“Oi! Don’t dissuade her!” 

Celia laughed, “I’m not, honest! I just know that it takes a lot of dedication to be a parent.” 

Yukina Kaede, Celia’s sister-in-law, sighed, “It’s true. Three kids are driving me nuts.” 

“I’ll be fine as soon as I find a way to keep Haya from growing” Inaba Carrie said in a pondering tone, addressing her now pretty much teen son, stroking her chin. 

Roomi snickered, “Good luck with that.” 

Carrie sighed and scooped up Kamon who squealed and she kissed his cheeks loudly, “This one won’t be tiny forever either, you know?” 

Kamon gabbled something and Carrie rested him in her lap, cocking a brow, “It still gets me. Y’know, Jyun with kids? Doesn’t it get you, Kae?” 

“Jyun was a little strange when we were younger” Kaede conceded, “I mean, I saw him sooner opening something equivalent to the Playboy Mansion than actually marrying and having babies, so definitely.” 

Hoshiko poked at her own belly, “True enough, Jyun was a bit of an enigma. The metrosexual mosher pimp.” 

Carrie grinned, taking a cookie, “You know you wanted to come with us, Hoshiko.” 

“I would have died” snickered Hoshiko. 

Roomi sighed, leaning forward to grab a piece of cheese, “Well, that’s in the past, my hubby’s perfect.” 

Gwen frowned, “How was Kyo when he was younger?” 

She realized that she hadn’t actually talked a lot to Kyo about his childhood. Huh, weird. Kaede cocked a brow in thought and shook her head. “Kyo was weird too.” 

Hoshiko rolled her eyes, “You know he was actually running off and stuff even when we were teenagers? He was nuts and most often pretty MIA.” 

Gwen was confused, “Didn’t that freak your parents out?” 

“It’s a little different here than L.A.” Carrie explained, “I mean, there, your kids walk down the street, you’d probably worry but here, when we were growing up, it was really countryish. We could go mountain climbing and camp out up there and our parents may have scolded us but they never, like, doubted us or where we were.” 

Hoshiko nodded in agreement, “Don’t get me wrong, our parent’s did yell at him for it but they didn’t really enforce anything against it, y’know?” 

Gwen nodded slowly, “So that’s it, he was a rolling stone?” 

“Well, remember when he saw me in Cali and started spouting off all that randomness? That’s kind of how it was, really. I hung out with Jyun more so than him and he might have had his own group of friends?” Carrie speculated. 

“Honestly, I don’t recall him or myself spending a lot of time with you guys” frowned Hoshiko. 

“I can only recall that really kinky movie we’d been watching. Like all the cousins were there” Kaede frowned, tapping her temple. 

Hoshiko cocked a brow and Carrie ‘mm’d’, “Oh yea, that really even for me awkward moment when all the guys were getting turned on. Gross memory there.” 

“Jesus!” Kaede suddenly groaned, “That was seventeen years ago!” 

“My God” groaned Carrie in return. 

Roomi snickered and smirked when the door opened, “Kitten, I’m home!” 

Hoshiko happily leaped to her feet as her husband entered. Okay, Gwen honestly had no idea what to make of Shimizu Julius. He was like the weirdest person ever. He wore, like, bright vibrant colors and had bright purple hair as well as red eyes. Crazy possibly gay best friend, maybe, but Gwen wasn’t sure what led Hoshiko to think of him of as anymore than that. More power to her. They did make a cute couple though. 

The man paused in the doorway and his eyes widened, “…Oh, uh, wow, are you having a woman intervention?” 

“We should have had one before you got married” Roomi said sweetly. 

“Midget” he grunted. 

“I’ll show you midget!” 

Hoshiko giggled, interjecting in the fight by hugging her husband’s waist, “I have great news!” 

He hugged her waist, glowering at Roomi who stuck out her tongue, and commented, “What?” 

“We’re going to have a baby!” 

Julius’ eyes widened and he glanced at her, startled, “W-what?” 

“I’m pregnant” she smiled sheepishly. 

He kind of gasped, hugging her tighter, “Oh my God, really?!” 

Kissing her warmly, he grunted and had her sit down, “You're pregnant? You’re drinking decaf, right? Caffeine is bad for the baby.” 

Hoshiko sighed and nodded, smirking, “Don’t be crazy like everyone else’s husband, please.” 

“We have to get on a vegan diet!” 

Hoshiko groaned and the others laughed. Suddenly, the door opened and the men appeared. Jyun was wearing a long black trench and looked rather disgruntled. “I want to nap. What’s so important?” 

“Don’t be a jerk” Roomi chastised, standing and walking towards him, hugging his waist before giggling, “Hoshi, tell your brother the fantabulous news!” 

Hoshiko’s eyes widened as it must have suddenly struck her. This was her brother and he’d go nuts. And worse yet, Kyo meandered in. 

“Woot, party” he echoed, still wearing his book bag, “Kind of good timing though.” 

Gwen cocked a brow at this statement as Jyun scooped his son up from Carrie’s arms, kissing his lips, “Hey little buddy.” 

Kamon squealed, kicking contently, and Jyun chuckled, giving him back to Carrie, “What’s up, Hosh?” 

Hoshiko grinned nervously, anxiously twiddling her fingers, “W-well, it’s not _that_ important.” 

“What?” demanded Roomi, propping her hands on her hips, “It’s _very_ important!” 

Hoshiko pouted at her and she smiled at Kyo and Jyun, “Uh, I’m pregnant, guys!” 

Kyo and Jyun stared at her for a second before Jyun smiled. Hoshiko looked almost hopeful. Maybe Jyun _wouldn’t_ freak. 

Alas. “You know, for a second, I thought you said you were pregnant.” 

Hoshiko cringed and she grinned, very nervous now, “I did?” 

The Yagami brothers stared at her for a long minute then, of course, turned to the daddy. Julius just kind of smiled...before jetting off towards the back door. Must have been one of those moments when he just _knew_ because Jyun and Kyo were almost on his heels. 

“Jyun, Kyo, stop that!” scolded Roomi, starting towards the door. 

“Who told you you could have sex with my sister, bastard?!” 

“I’ll maim you!” 

Gwen rolled her eyes around and Hoshiko just shook her head. “I should know better.” 

Roomi came back into the room, grunting, “I will never understand that protective streak! God!” 

Gwen really didn’t either. She supposed if she really could put herself in the place of a parent, knowing the 'how' of how babies are made and the idea that something you once carried yourself was doing the same it was strange territory. Still, playing ‘Let’s-Castrate-Our-Brother-In-Law’ seemed a little ridiculous. 

The front door suddenly opened and, surprisingly, one Nelly Yagami entered, dragging his sons by the collars and looking as if nothing abnormal was happening. 

“Gwen, Roomi, when you married these two idiots, I expected them to be _leashed_ ” he remarked dryly, both of them ranting and raving at Julius who looked out of breath, walking in behind the trio. 

“I know” they both groaned. 

Placing the boys on one side away from Julius as they glared daggers at him, Nelly grunted, “What’s going on? Don’t you two know not to freak out so much at your age?” 

“Tell him, Hoshi” grunted Jyun, leering. 

Hoshiko looked irritated, “Daddy, I’m going to have a baby. _That’s_ why they’re freaking out.” 

There was that awkward moment when the look on Nelly’s face appeared like he was ready to ‘release the hounds’ and join the hunt. But naturally he was sensible and smiled. Tightly but he smiled. 

“Congratulations, baby” he replied warmly, pulling her to hug his side, before glaring at his sons, “ _Right_?” 

Jyun and Kyo muttered something incoherently and Hoshiko rolled her eyes. Nelly smiled lightly at Julius, his eyes narrowing a tiny bit, “And I expect you’ll be a good father to my grandchild?” 

“Of course” Julius smiled cautiously. 

“Good, good” Nelly remarked, patting Julius _really_ hard on the back, nearly sending the man keeling over. 

Hoshiko just glared at them, “I hate you guys.” 

Kyo jabbed her belly suddenly, “Is it going to be a boy?” 

“I’m like two days pregnant, baka!” 

“Bleh! Aren’t women supposed to have some intuition about that crap?” he demanded. 

Roomi snickered, rubbing Hoshiko’s stomach, “It’s going to be a girl, I can feel it.” 

“God forbid” Kyo grunted. 

Gwen leered, “And what does _that_ mean?” 

“It means that if she has a girl she might end up pregnant one day too and I’ll be angry!” 

Jyun finally smirked as Hoshiko’s eyes widened, “Good foresight there, itoto.” 

Gwen just sighed and the rest of the aunt’s and uncles and whatever else arrived. Inaba Kurt sat next to his wife and smirked at the rolly Kamon who was making ‘wahh!’ sounds as he tumbled around Carrie’s lap. Carrie laughed, picking him up, kissing his lips. “You’re so silly!” 

“Y’know…” 

“No.” 

Kurt sulked and Gwen sighed. Seemed her cousin wasn’t really contented with the two kids he already had. She didn’t even want 'one' so she couldn’t understand that at all. 

Carrie bounced Kamon in her lap, cocking a brow at Kurt before her blue eyes darted at Gwen. “Y’know, you guys are related so you should talk more.” 

Kurt and Gwen exchanged a look. “Hi.” “Hey.” 

Carrie rolled her eyes, smirking, “Well, I guess your family wasn’t as close knit as ours.” 

“I don’t think many are” snorted Kurt. 

Be that as it may, Gwen thought with a sigh, she had to admit that if she were to see her Aunt Sally and Uncle Rob or Uncle James and Aunt Linda, she’d speak to them and be able to converse. If she saw her cousins Rob Jr., Lindsay, Natalia, Candace, or Richard, she’d be able to talk to them too. If it wasn’t obvious, those were her _father’s_ siblings, nieces, and nephews. 

Her mother had the one sister, Kurt and Joe's mother, and one brother. Gwen really, really didn’t want to ask because it’d just be way, way, _way_ horrible of her but she didn’t even remember Kurt’s mother’s name. The brother was _never_ mentioned. And she was close to her grandparents in America but, well, her grandfather here was an odd fellow and she felt awkward approaching the almost hippy-like Woody. 

... 

Once some wine glasses were passed around, Kyo sat down beside her and kissed her cheek before clearing his throat. “Uh, guys, I, um, wanted some advice on something.” 

“That’s a first” Nelly stated dryly, drinking a beer as he elbowed Koji, his twin, about something. 

Kyo sulked and Gwen blinked, “What is it?” 

“Well, uh, my teacher, he, um, he’s actually kind of referred me for a work-study program.” 

Gwen clapped, “That’s great!” 

“In South America.” 

“……What?” 

Jyun stared at him blankly, “South America? Aren’t there a bunch of indigenous tribes around _here_?” 

“Well yea! But this one hasn’t really been studied a lot because no one wants to go that far away” Kyo explained. 

“No dip” grunted Carrie. 

Kyo looked irritated, “C’mon, guys! It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity!” 

Nelly cocked a brow before glancing at his twin who drank absently, saying once he’d swallowed, “The part you’d go to, would it be dangerous?” 

“Well, it has like, snakes and weird insects and stuff but the tribe itself hasn’t had any cases of violence with the American anthropologists that have gone.” 

His father just kind of stared before grunting, “I don’t know if I like that idea.” 

Kyo just looked frustrated as he stood, “Then why’d I go back to school then?!” 

“Calm the hell down, punk” Jyun grunted as well, shoving his brother to sit again, “Of course we’re not going to _like_ you going a million miles away from home--” 

“I already had one stupid son do that” Nelly said plainly. 

Jyun leered at him, “-- _But_ I know at least I’ll support you. Somewhat.” 

Hoshiko pouted, “You’ll be away when I have my baby, won’t you?” 

“Mm, probably. A year” he admitted. 

“A _year_?!” 

Kyo just groaned, burying his face in his hands, “Maybe this was a mistake.” 

Nelly scratched his chin, this time looking to Jyun who just was kind of wide-eyed before glancing back at his father. Nelly shrugged, “Well, I mean, as long as you’re _safe_ and not going to die, I…guess we can live with it, right? It is why you went back to school.” 

His Aunt Popuri smiled some, “Of course we’ll support your dream, dear. But I think you should discuss it more closely with your wife.” 

Kyo’s eyes kind of widened. Indeed, his wife had gone suspiciously quiet after he admitted where it was. He looked to her and she looked a little lost. 

“Um! We can talk about it more when we get home. For now, let’s celebrate Hoshiko’s baby” she smiled quickly. 

There was a consensus in agreement to this and she stood, starting to go chat with anyone _besides_ Kyo. 

A _year_? In _South America_?! Okay, fine, she knew he’d be doing the work-studies but she’d assumed they’d be in _Japan_. 

…South America? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kyo awkwardly knocked on the door of his bathroom, “Gwen, baby, come on. You’re going to get all pruney.” 

Gwen made a ‘hmph’ sound and he rolled his eyes, leaning his head against the door, “If you don’t want me to go, just tell me so.” 

He jumped back when the door opened, the woman exiting only with a towel wrapped around her, her hair damp, looking haughty. “If you want to go, who am I to stop you?” 

“My wife, duh” he snorted, following her into the room. 

Gwen turned and glared, “Then don’t go.” 

Kyo looked insanely disappointed and she growled, “Don’t _ask_ if you’re just going to get sad and upset with me!” 

He just slouched on the bed and looked at her, “I really want to go, Gwen. I really, really do. Matt showed me all the stats and stuff and it’d just be an _amazing_ experience. But I’m not going to leave you here if you’re going to unhappy. You’re more important.” 

Gwen couldn’t help soften, sitting down beside him, drying her hair, “It’d…it’d suck so much. A whole effin’ year.” 

“I know.” 

She rested her ear on his shoulder and closed her eyes, “I do need to work on getting my PH D a little more. And no offense, baby, you’re kind of a distraction.” 

“I know” he sighed heavily. 

She couldn’t help smile and kissed his chin, “Think really hard on it, okay? Like Jyun, I’ll support it if it’s something you really want to do.” 

Gwen squeaked when he pushed her over, crawling over her, kissing down her throat, “I know the sex will definitely make me think it over.” 

“Just the sex?” she grunted. 

“And cuddling with my cuddle bunny, duhhh” he cooed, hugging her waist. 

She snickered, kneeing him, “You’ve been around your brother-in-law too long.” 

He yawned and snuggled against her, “Maybe.” 

“Let me get dressed, sheesh” she grunted, trying to get up. 

“I prefer your current outfit, it’s really hot” he said sleepily. 

Snorting, blushing, she tugged away much to his chagrin and sighed. Pulling on her night clothing, she nudged him to do the same. He did sleepily before crashing into bed, snoring as if he didn’t just drop a bombshell on her. 

Climbing in beside him, sleepy herself, she figured maybe without him there she could focus really hard on the doctorate program and be done by the time he got back. And if he’s away, he wouldn’t have to deal with her ignoring his existence. 

She...supposed they’d be okay. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“What are you, four?!” 

“Daddy!” 

Yagami Nelly just kind of stared at his son as Hattori Jilliana laughed, patting his knee, “Don’t worry, sweetie, you just have two more.” 

Kyo pouted, actually looking like he was prepared to cry, as his cousin gave him all the shots he required to travel overseas. “No! I’ll just catch some horrible disease and _die_!” 

“Stop being an idiot” grunted Nelly. 

Kyo rubbed his arm and sighed, “Maybe I shouldn’t.” 

…He was going. 

Matt pretty much demanded he go, that Gwen would be fine and probably needed the space to pursue the rest of her degree as it seemed, because of him, she was starting to fall behind. He didn’t really like that but he supposed he could understand it. It was a lot harder going through school for him too with a wife. He liked spending time with her too, sometimes homework just didn’t seem as crucial. 

So he discussed it further with his family, with Gwen, and they all encouraged him to go on with a little more information. He told them that every month he’d be able to go to a kind of port town with shopping and phones and computers and hotels for a few days. Thus, every month, he could keep in touch. And also, he could carry a cell phone but it’d been found that getting a signal was nearly impossible. At least it wasn’t like he was just going to be completely cut off from the world. 

“Your mother would have a fit” his father said extremely absently. 

Kyo just grunted at that, “Mother hasn’t even entered my mind during this.” 

Nelly rolled his eyes, “Don’t you guys think _I_ should be the one that truly dislikes her?” 

“You suck at it” muttered Kyo, “Besides, she hates us anyway.” 

“That’s not true…” Nelly remarked almost sadly. 

Kyo grimaced and started to say something to comfort his dad but Jilliana stabbed him in the arm again. Okay, he was capable of taking a lot of concrete to the head without his eyes even watering but a needle. 

“ _Wah_!” 

Nelly rolled his eyes, smirking, “So how’s Gwen taking it?” 

“Well, we’re screwing around a lot more now.” 

“Did I ask that?” 

Kyo grinned lazily before shrugging, “She doesn’t seem to think it’ll be an issue now. She was freaking when I first brought it up but she seems to be convinced that everything’ll be okay.” 

Nelly sighed and leaned against the wall, “…I suppose. Just promise you won’t die or something. I’m old, I couldn’t really handle it.” 

“Aww, dad— _ow_!!” 

“That’s it!” smiled Jilliana triumphantly. 

Kyo rubbed his sore arm and scowled, “You doctors are _sadists_.” 

She giggled, kissing his cheek, “You know you’d like stabbing people.” 

Kyo stroked his chin, “Now that you mention it…” 

“No, you are going to be an anthropologist, punk” Nelly smirked. 

Kyo laughed, “Okay.” 

Jilliana smiled, “When will you be leaving, Kyo?” 

“In about two months. I have to be schooled and stuff on proper procedures and what not. You know, so I don’t go corrupt a culture.” 

“Thank God” snorted Nelly, opening the door so they could all exit the sterile examination room. 

Kyo stuck out his tongue and Jilliana gave him a lollipop, “Yay!” 

Nelly just sighed and stared at Kyo rather idly. It wasn’t like him, really. Of course he worried for his children and cared about their well-being and happiness. He _hated_ when Jyun ran off like that for a broken heart and beat that bastard senseless when he tried to rape _his_ baby girl. 

But something just felt weird about his son leaving the country for a year. Sure, Jyun did it, but he kind of felt more _comfortable_ with Jyun doing so. His eldest son had his moments where he was a complete idiot but Jyun was always a little bit more reliable. And no, he didn’t think Kyo was unreliable, he just felt his son was more likely to, well, get himself into some trouble. But Nelly had always attempted to be a supportive father. He wasn’t going to fail in that aspect. 

He just really, really hoped his son could keep himself out of any harm. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _What_? You’re letting your man go to be in a country where there’s hot Brazilian chicks for a year?!” 

Gwen groaned as she talked to the dynamic foursome on webcam, “Shelly, come on, I told you: he’s not really even going to be _near_ Brazil.” 

Michelle, nursing her very small baby girl, Angelina, looked mortified, “I’d be scared senseless sending Roy to some place without running water and available medicine!” 

“I’d be scared senseless sending my husband away for a year without sex” stated Shelly dryly. 

Gwen sighed, rolling her eyes, “Guys…” 

“I think you really need to think about it, babe” Marissa cleared her throat, “A lot more. That’s a year without your spouse.” 

“Seriously” Rachel scowled, “I can’t believe he’s even willing to do it!” 

“Come on” scowled Gwen, “I believe in Kyo. He’s always supported my goals so how can I not support his?” 

“You just don’t?” Shelly actually seemed to question. 

Oh God, this was going to become an argument. Smiling tightly, she started to disconnect, “I think I’ll talk to you guys later.” 

“Wait, wait!” Michelle beckoned, “We just want you to be happy, sweetie. It’s wonderful that you want to support Kyo and that he wants to go study various cultures. He’s helping people expand their view of the world.” 

Shelly rubbed her temple, “Of course that’s fine. And I’m sure plenty of married women had to give up their husband for that cause too but just hearing about it, it sounds awful! You’ll be in that house alone and you’ll have no one there for a whole entire year! 365 days, babe, without your husband. It just seems…” 

“Horrible?” Rachel groaned. 

Gwen just buried her face in her hands, “Guys, I want to be supportive, seriously.” 

“It’s up to you, honey” Marissa smiled, “It’s just, to us, sounds like it’s a heartbreak waiting to happen.” 

“I believe in Kyo and my relationship” she said haughtily. 

“As you should, darling” Michelle smiled happily. 

“I guess if you think you’ll be okay” Shelly conceded, nibbling on a stalk of celery, “I just know I’d go nuts if Bobby sailed off into the sunset for a year.” 

She actually flustered, “But don’t tell him that, I hate him right now.” 

“Eh? What’d he do?” questioned Rachel. 

“The bitch had the nerve to tell me he found some other chick hot! It’s okay when it’s _guys_ but a _woman_? He’s lucky I didn’t kill him!” 

“Maybe he feels the same when you point out a hot guy” said Marissa rather pointedly. 

Shelly grunted, “I _don't._ I just say he looks like he may have a loaded package and we should try to pick him up.” 

“You’re such a perv” Gwen snorted, “I guess I’m lucky Kyo didn’t meet you first.” 

“We would have had some hot sex and babies, that’s for sure.” 

Gwen laughed and smiled as Angelina fussed, “Speaking of babies! She’s so cute.” 

“I dunno, I still think she looks a tad too much like your hubby” Rachel commented. 

“What’s wrong with that?” Michelle demanded. 

“You don’t want your girl to look like the daddy, silly, you want her to have the mad beautiful looks of yourself and the sons to have the dashing gene of the father” Rachel sighed airily. 

“You should probably read more biology than random fairy tales, Rache” snickered Marissa, “All Roy’s traits trump Michelle’s.” 

“Oh no! I don’t want _all_ of them to look like Roy!” gasped Michelle, horrified. 

Gwen snickered. Her friends. She glanced over her shoulder as the front door opened, Kyo wandering in, his nose buried in a book and earphones on his head. He seemed to be muttering to himself in another language. She’d been trying to call him for _five_ hours. Where had he been? 

Turning around with her arm over the back of the chair, she scowled, “Kyo!” 

He probably had whatever he was listening to blaring so she marched over and grabbed one of the plugs. Looking at her, alarmed, he didn’t seem to realize he’d even walked into the house. 

“Woah, when’d I get here?” he questioned, startled. 

Gwen propped her hands on her hips, “Where have you been? I’ve called and everything and you didn’t pick up.” 

“I was at the Mineral Library for a bit, studying Spanish. Hopefully I’ll learn their dialect when I get there but I don’t want to go a complete idiot” he informed, “Course, Mary kicked me out.” 

She scowled as he started to sit, “ ‘Mary’?” 

“That lady makes you seem like a nice nonviolent woman.” 

Gwen punched him in the arm for the slight and he about howled, screaming and writhing as he fell off the couch, clutching his arm and screaming profanities. The others had somewhat of a view from the computer and Shelly snickered, “Sheesh, maybe Kyo _should_ leave. You might end up killing him at this rate.” 

“I didn’t hit him _that_ hard!” Gwen insisted, actually kicking him lightly in the back, “Why are you crying like a baby, huh?” 

“No, that definitely explains everything. Flee, Kyo, flee.” 

“Bah!” 

Kyo finally recovered and glared at Gwen, rubbing the spot, his face actually red, “I got about _nine_ shots in that effin’ arm with needles the length of my middle finger which I'm possessed to point at you right now!” 

Gwen grimaced. Oh yea, she kind of forgot. Kneeling, pouting, she rolled up his sleeve, kissing his arm, “I’m sorry.” 

“I don’t know, Kyo. One of the stages of an abusive relationship is violence then begging for forgiveness” remarked Marissa, stroking her chin as if she were observing a patient. 

“Hey!” 

Kyo finally laughed, standing and dropping his iPod on the table, “I’ll have to think about that. She does make good omelets.” 

“And only Kyo would weigh that against his own general well-being” snickered Shelly. 

He grinned and winked, still rubbing his arm as he wandered into the kitchen. Gwen clicked off with her friends after bidding them farewell, walking into the room as well. Kyo was dicing onions and she cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, really. I’d never want to hurt you.” 

“I know. I was just messing with you about the flicking off thing” he smiled at her, leaning over and accepting the kiss she gave him. 

“You want me to get some balm?” 

“Nah, I’m good” he assured, dropping the onions into the frying pan, “Baby, promise me when I’m away that you’ll eat well. Sometimes I notice you tend to forget.” 

She kneaded her hands and nodded, smiling nervously, “K-Kyo?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Well, Shelly was bringing up a point I had _considered_ but you know, I didn’t really consider-consider it or what it could mean..” 

Kyo cocked a brow as he tossed the onions, “What’s that?” 

“…Urges?” 

“I thought that’s why we’re screwing around nightly now, to get it out of our system” Kyo blinked. 

She flustered, “Two months of nightly sex is going to cover a year of _no_ sex?” 

“We can have phone sex.” 

Gwen just stared at him and he stared back, “Or I can get a webcam and do a kinky sex kind of thing.” 

Her eyes just narrowed and he swallowed, “Or toys?” 

Gwen grunted and Kyo blinked, “So we’re going with toys?” 

“No! Look, I’m probably overreacting. I went almost six years without sex” she said proudly. 

“You know, we might have actually made up for that six years already. Especially that five month period where we had sex four times a day.” 

“Shut up!” 

“Hmm, with some fuzzy math you went two thousand days without sex” he closed an eye, pouring rice into the maker, “Generally speaking there are 31 days in a month so that’s 155 days time four...” 

“Stop doing math about sex!” 

“Hmm, roughly 620 times. Damn, we’re horny” he shook his head absently. 

Gwen was tempted to smack him again but he said cheerfully, “But hey! If my math works out you would be fine. Our sexual activity has yet to overtake your period of celibacy even if I add on the new months!” 

Staring at him, she pinched his arm which doubled him over as she wandered away. Well, whatever. Maybe that was, in it’s own backwards perverted way, comforting. 

Why was she letting people get her worried over this? She was a big girl. So her significant other would be gone for a few months? Big deal. 

She could always make it on her own. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“No!” 

“It’s not like I’m going to sell it or something!” Kyo insisted. 

He was leaving in a week. 

Those two months had flown by. He was always in class, learning how not to violate the rules while he was there, learning Spanish, getting himself ready for the reality of the situation. He was so excited. 

Course, he was packing and it suddenly occurred to him, ‘hey, we should record ourselves having sex so I can have some porn I can watch’. No. 

“I don’t care! What if someone sees it?! B-besides, I wouldn’t feel comfortable having sex with a camera on” she mumbled shyly. 

He looked disappointed but shrugged, “Fine.” 

She buried her face in her hands, “You’re so gross.” 

“Hey, us having sex is a magical, beautiful thing, there’s nothing gross about it” he grunted, continuing to fold shirts to put in one of his cases. 

Gwen just sighed and Kyo sighed as well, “It’ll suck masturbating for a year.” 

“Perv!” 

“Maybe I can pack a sex doll” he cocked a brow thoughtfully. 

“ _Kyo_!” 

“Nah, that’s _way_ desperate” he shook his head. 

“Why is it that you’re only worried about sex?” she demanded, “There’s a lot more that you’ll be leaving behind than a damn hole you can screw!” 

Kyo looked _extremely_ offended, “ _Excuse_ me? How dare you say something like that?” 

“Because that’s all you care about and that’s all I seem to be to you!” she blurted, feeling herself get upset as she rushed out of the room. 

… _Ugh_ , she hated being emotional! But it finally really, really dawned on her these few months that, well, she’d really, really miss her husband. 

He was away a lot now, either in class or spending the last few days he had with his family. She barely got to see him and she came to the conclusion that she’d be dreadfully lonely. Even now she sat up, waiting for him to come home even if it was at four in the morning. She called him to guilt him into coming back early because she ‘made him dinner’ or ‘had a surprise’ or whatever excuse she could fathom. And she tried to drop hints that her main concern was being lonely but somehow, with _everyone,_ it all came back around to sex. With Shelly, with Roomi, even with Marissa and _especially_ Kyo. It was like his primary concern. Hell, he just suggested home-made porn! 

It upset her. Or maybe she wanted to believe that was what was upsetting her. 

Damn it, she didn’t want him to go. Why’d she convince him to go back to school? He was happy enough doing what he did, she didn’t have to force him. And now? Hiccuping as she choked on tears, she wiped her eyes, going onto the deck and curling into a corner on the couch. But how could she refute him now? How could she ever? Kyo supported her even though he hated the radical feminist movement even _before_ they were romantically involved. She couldn’t turn on him now. 

…What had she done? 

She shivered as the door slid open and the patter of Kyo’s slippers echoed louder as he apparently approached. He slid down beside her and muttered, his hand probably over his mouth. “I don’t think you’re just some 'damn hole to screw', Gwen, and you should know that.” 

“Should I?” she demanded bitterly. 

He heard him tap his foot rapidly. He was fighting down his temper. “Yes. Yes you should.” 

“You don’t care about me at all!” she spat, finally leaping to her feet, glaring at him, “You’re away from home all the time, you’re hanging out with your family, you’re preparing _them_ for your leaving but you're _ignoring_ me! And you’re leaving in a week and I haven’t seen you but maybe four times in the last two. Then when we’re together all it's about is getting into my pants or talking about how are you going to survive without 

f—king! You’ve _already_ abandoned me!” 

Taking a breath, waiting for Kyo’s heated reply, she scowled at him. He just kind of stared at her weirdly, his brown eyes solemn before he rose to his feet. She flinched back a little, alarmed by his height for a moment. 

“Then I won’t go.” And he walked back into the house. 

Gwen looked after him, taking deep breaths before crumbling to her knees, absolutely and utterly relieved. Thank… 

Thank goodness. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Kyo, you’re going to be late for class.” 

Gwen tugged her black overly large t-shirt over her head, glancing at her husband who was lying in bed on his side, pointed away from her, emerged under the covers. 

He’d been disturbingly quiet over the last few days, not really talking much to her or anyone for that matter. She was pretty sure she hadn’t seen him roll out of bed or go to school since he canceled his plans… 

Draping her hands on her hips after some moments, seeing as he hadn’t responded, she tried again, “Kyo, it’s 10:30.” 

“I’m not going.” 

Glaring at that almost pointed answer, she grunted, “You haven’t been in three days!” 

He shifted a little bit before muttering, “Why the hell should I go to school anymore?” 

Freezing, Gwen gawked in disbelief, “So you can get your degree!” 

“What’s the point of getting a degree in something I’ll never use?” he mumbled. 

Flinching, irritated, she snapped, “So that’s it? You’re giving up, just like that, _again_?” 

“Sounds about right.” 

Pretty furious, she shot daggers at his back, starting to stalk away before stopping, slouching. Why? Was he trying to make her feel bad? He wasn’t going to win, she didn’t want him to go. Why was he _that_ disappointed that he wasn’t going thousands of miles away from the life he knew? His family? _Her_? 

Gwen pursed her lips, her eyes burning. He was acting like he was gone anyway, being all angry with her. Was this damn trip that much more important than her? Didn’t he realize that she’d probably never cried this much her entire life than she had these past few months? 

“Y-you should just go” she spat bitterly, “Since you seem to want to get away from me so badly.” 

“Jesus Christ.” 

She wheeled, bright red with fury, “I’m not even that important to you!” 

Kyo sat up, glaring into her face for the first time in days, “Stop telling me what I feel, Gwen! I know what I f—king feel!” 

“Yeah, and you feel that I’m completely dispensable!” she seethed. 

He was getting angry. They really were an awful couple in that manner, they had the hottest tempers in the universe. 

“I love you!” he growled, “Why do you have to make it so _complicated_ to do so?!” 

She winced back, “W-well, if it hurts you so much to love me, we should break up!” 

“Maybe we should!” 

“Fine!” 

“ _Fine_!” 

Chests rising and falling as they glared at each other, out of breath, they broke down as they always did. As bad as it was, the rage shattered the walls. 

“I was so excited” he whispered, “Of course I’d miss you, of course I’d think about you all the time, of course it doesn’t hurt to love you. I always use mindless innuendo, why’d it start bothering you _now_? Why’d you have to say that I only cared about sex? That's not true and it hurts that you think I could ever feel that way.” 

“Kyo…” she whimpered, slowly pushing her face into his chest, “I’m sorry, I'm just…I was scared. You’ll be away, I was…I’m _frightened._ I'll be all alone without you and I'll miss you and just anything could happen. What if you get sick? What-what if something happens to you?” 

“I’ll be fine, baby” he murmured before looking at her worried, “Just will you be?” 

She took a deep breath and he bit his lip, “Honestly? You were like the last person I was concerned about leaving here. You’re my hardcore fearless angrified wife. But all this, it kind of makes me anxious and reconsider because I _do_ care for your well-being. If you’re going to be unhappy and depressed--” 

“Then you’d be unhappy and depressed” she mumbled, hugging him tightly, “...Promise you won’t get tempted?” 

“By what?” he said rather confusedly. 

Gwen stared at him before curling against him, “Never mind, baby. I’m sorry I said all those things.” 

“No” he said, pushing her back a little to stare into her face, his brows creased, “Tempted by what?” 

“Nothing!” 

He leered a bit before he looked enlightened, “Damn it, Gwen, I went two years without sex too! I can control myself.” 

She bit her lip as he hugged her tightly to him, “And I’m not that kind of person. There's only one person in my heart.” 

“I know” she whimpered. 

Kissing her temple, he sighed, “Are we okay?” 

“Yea” she whispered, sitting on the bed, burying her face in her hands, “Just tell Matt you can go so he can stop leaving threatening phone messages.” 

Kyo chuckled, grasping her waist and pulling her to lie down with him, “Really Gwen? I think I’ve heard this before.” 

“Go” she muttered, closing her eyes miserably. 

“And uh, about the whole ‘ignoring you’ spiel you went on? I was spending a lot of time with my family because I was going to surprise you with something” he remarked absently, reaching into the drawer. 

She frowned as he gave her a pamphlet. Eyes widening, she blinked, “…You were going to take me to the mountains?” 

“Well, a little country area. More country, anyway. It's a lush mountain landscape and a really nice spot. I thought we could take Yuri and Baron up there, ride around, snuggle...” 

Gwen gaped at him, surprised, before sniveling, “Kyo…” 

“Hey, hey, stop crying. You’re killing me” he grunted, kissing her. 

She punched his chest and snuggled into his side, “…We don’t have to go to school today.” 

He smirked at her, “Maybe I should go away. At this rate you won’t finish your degree.” 

Gwen sighed, “…Maybe. But I’ll have a whole year to worry about it.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Well idiot, don’t die.” 

Kyo leered at his older brother and Hoshiko sniveled, looking positively green, “I’ll miss you, onii-san!” 

“Aww, imoto, that’s just the hormones talking” he cooed, hugging her. 

She sniveled, “I know…” 

He laughed and kissed her forehead. Most of the family had bid him farewell back in Mineral. His immediate were there with him at the airport. He hadn’t quite gotten to check in yet but he had time. 

Jyun sighed and awkwardly gave him an embrace before muttering, “Seriously, don’t let yourself get killed.” 

“Fine” he sighed. 

Releasing him, Nelly glared lightly at him, “You better take that damn seriously, you punk, because I’ll kill someone. No matter how much it kills me inside to admit, you’re my son and I have to love you.” 

Kyo stuck out his tongue but smiled some as his father gave him a hug. Well, that was about as close to affectionate as he’d get with the men in his family. 

“Bye-bye, Uncle Kyo! Say hi to Mowgli!” Fujiwako declared. 

He laughed and swooped her up, giving her a kiss on the cheek, “Sure thing, cutie.” 

Roomi skipped over and hugged him, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. Jyun glared, “Hey.” 

Roomi glowered at him before smiling happily, holding up the gurgly Kamon who gave Kyo a fist tap, “Have fun, sweetie! And we’ll take care of Gwen.” 

Kyo grinned at his nephew, “Thanks.” 

Staring at the woman in question who stood at distance, her arms crossed, he sighed, “I have to check in soon, baby, c’mere.” 

Gwen, disgruntled, sighed and walked over to him, hugging him tightly, “Call when you get to the airport?” 

“Of course.” 

“And you’ll call whenever you can get a signal?” 

“Definitely.” 

“…Okay” she said in a weary resigned tone. 

Kyo smiled at her and gave her a kiss on the lips, “I love you, okay? And don’t worry, it’s just a year.” 

Just a year…Little did she, or he, know what kind of insanity a year could lead to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (x) Yes my long-time readers, nearly 20 years have passed since the happenings of Yuki. Bizarre indeed.
> 
> Mowgli is from The Jungle Book XD
> 
> And remember in the last chapter of Jewel in the Rough, Julius said Hoshiko’s brothers actually chased him? Yep.


	17. Lesson Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little sexy at the beginning.

Yagami Jyun groaned, his body glistening as he passionately kissed his wife’s lips. Her legs straddled his waist from underneath him, her arms hugging his neck and running through his loosely curling hair. It had been way too long… 

Thrusting his hips, his eyes rolled back as he closed them, his lips parting as he faintly exhaled, Roomi’s whimpers growing louder as he grew harder. 

He cringed and glared at the phone as it rang. Roomi actually reached for it. Grunting, pinning her hand, he growled, “Do you know how long I’ve been without sex?” 

Roomi giggled, nipping at his chin, “It’s Gwen though.” 

“I know” he muttered. 

“Don’t be mean” she chastised. 

“I’m not. I’m just not keen on the idea of my sister-in-law hearing me bust one.” 

Roomi snickered, giving him a coy look, “But I thought you knew how to make it last?” 

He gave her a look before sighing and burying his face into her neck, nipping hungrily, as she picked up the phone. 

“Mm, hello, Gwen” she murmured, closing her eyes. 

Gwen sounded like she was anxious, “Uh, hi. Am I interrupting something?” 

“Oh, I want it to take a while anyway…” she sighed. 

Jyun snorted into her skin and she giggled, “Anyway, what can I do for you, dear?” 

“Uh, I-I was just wondering if you were busy tomorrow. I-I don’t have class and I’ll lose my mind because I don’t have work--” 

“Oh, of course” Roomi interrupted, “I have to do some things at work but we can go to the spa after I’m off/” 

“Okay” Gwen said depressed. 

Roomi pouted, “Hang tight, dear, you’re doing fine.” 

“I guess” she laughed anxiously, “I…kind of wish it was like it had been before. I…I didn’t really realize how much of my life he’d taken over.” 

“Oh honey…” 

Jyun groaned like he was in agony and she stroked his hair, “You’ll be okay, alright? We’ll go to the spa and get some manicures and stuff, kay?” 

“Okay” Gwen breathed, “T-thanks.” 

“Of course! You get some rest.” 

Clicking off, she sighed and licked the cartilage of Jyun’s ear, “That girl is going to go stark-raving mad.” 

“Mm, she’ll be fine” Jyun sighed, “She’ll just have to find a hobby.” 

“A hobby wouldn’t console me if you went away” she pouted. 

He sighed again, “I suppose…” 

Gwen really did call often, wanting to find _someone_ to do something with. She admitted to Roomi that she really honestly had no friends at school. Or hell, anyone she wanted to even hang out with so she clung to them. School was demanding, she admitted, and so was work but when she had _nothing_ to do, it was awful. 

Sad part? It’d only been a month and a half. 

X 

…She shouldn’t have ever agreed. 

Yagami Gwen walked through the forest, bored senseless. She rode Baron for a couple hours, visited with Kamon and Hoshiko, and now… 

Now? 

Pursing her lips, she stared around. She’d come to this area a few times when she happened to go to Carrie or Jilliana’s house but never this deep. She was pretty sure her grandfather lived somewhere out here. She supposed she could go say ‘hi’ to him or something if he even knew who she was. 

Gwen scowled. Why’d her mother ignore her father so much? It didn’t even make any sense. But Gwen supposed she’d never asked in the first place. It sucked but she was still not talking to her mother after all this time. Or more like the woman refused to, Gwen was ready to let bygones be bygones a long time ago. Wasn’t the case with her mom though. 

Sitting on a stump, she slouched, “I hated Kyo at one time. His existence meant nothing to me. If I can just do something similar for the next eleven and a half months, it shouldn’t matter!” 

…She knew that was just wishful thinking. 

Biting her lip, steeling, refusing to cry for something as stupid as loneliness, she stood and started to march towards the store. She’d cook. That’d be good. Cook a good lunch. Or hey, she can invite the girls over for once to her house. That’d be different. 

Lost in her thoughts, her brow creased when she heard a weird crackle behind her. Gazing back, she didn’t have time to respond when a rather large branch hit her across the face. God, what was it with her and completely random Kyo and falling objects? 

X 

“Lovely, you all right?” 

Gwen groaned and slowly opened her eyes. What the--? 

She gasped, sitting straight up, realizing she was in someone’s house. A cool cloth had been on her head but fell off with her movement. 

“Woah now, don’t go getting all jerky. You relax there.” 

Gwen frowned, glancing at the owner of the voice and was surprised. Inaba Woody. 

She really had no interest in starting a relationship with her grandfather when she first came to Japan. Just another man she’d never seen. But questioning her mother more, she got the idea she had never _seen_ him because her mother disallowed it for whatever reason. When she came to Mineral though, she checked him out and found the man looked like something of a hippy with long grayed hair and a headband. That made her feel kind of weirded out at the idea of approaching him. But eh, apparently fate wouldn’t let that stay the case. 

He walked over to his wood stove in the corner, brewing tea, “You all right there? That tree had some dead branches from the winter frost.” 

“I’m fine” she said shyly. 

He walked back over, giving her a wooden tea cup with some herbal tea. Inhaling it’s rich earthy aroma, she thanked him and sipped it. 

“Now you don’t live near these parts” the man commented, “Were you needin’ something over here?” 

“Ah, n-no” she laughed anxiously, “I was just bored and wandering.” 

“I heard the old ball-and-chain went off on an adventure” he commented, sitting on a chair nearby, drinking tea as well. 

“Yea…” she sighed miserably. 

“Men do that sort of stuff. Need time to go and find themselves” he said in an almost explanatory tone, “Don’t make a lick of sense but it’s like instinct.” 

Gwen tossed her legs over the side of the worn old couch so she was sitting up, drinking the tea, “You…you think Kyo went off to find himself? It was kind of a part of his major.” 

“Well, naturally it’s got some schooling bits to it but ain’t that about the same as finding yourself? That’s what he went to school for now he’s putting it to work, seeing if that’s what he wants to do with his life” Woody said sagely. 

Gwen frowned, “I hadn’t really thought of that.” 

“And don’t worry, while he’s off on his exploration, you’ll find some meaning to it too” he assured, “It’s rough, but you’ll find it.” 

Accepting the refill he offered, she cleared her throat, “Um, grand…father?” 

That felt way unnatural. Woody waved a hand, “You can call me 'Woody' if that makes you feel better, Lovely. It’s fine.” 

Gwen’s nose wrinkled, “I don’t like that though.” 

“I suppose your daddy’s old man is your ‘grandfather’. I’m more an ojii-san, y’know?” 

“Okay…ojii-san” she smiled. That felt better. “But, uh, I was wondering, why does my mom not visit you or anything?” 

Woody laughed heartily, shrugging, “Oh, your mama’s alright with me. She don’t have to come visit if she don’t like to.” 

“But it doesn’t seem right” scowled Gwen. 

He folded his hands over his belly, sighing, “I reckon your mother didn’t care much for her lifestyle growing up. Probably why the rich city boy met her fancy.” 

Gwen frowned, “Her lifestyle?” 

“Ah, well, I met the girls' mother at a music festival. It was a folk festival, I believe, one of the few flower power women left. Told me her name was 'Willow'” he smirked, “It was always Willow back then, y’know? Willow or Daisy or some other damn flowery name that came with some half-cocked explanation that made them sound like they didn’t have a bit of brains.” 

Gwen leaned forward, intrigued, and he laughed haughtily, “But supposed ‘Edna’ wasn’t really the kind of name you wanted as a child of love, y’know? But she was a beautiful woman. Stole my heart. Her old man was a real square, dig? He hated when I took her back with me to Japan. She was always happy though. I lived the kind of life she wanted. Life of a carpenter? Said it’s what Jesus did.” 

He took a breath and gazed at the ceiling, “Poor thing though, got a hot fever one night. Took her away from me.” 

Gwen frowned, confused. Her grandmother wasn’t dead. But he waved a hand, “But that ain’t what you asked. Look at me ranting. But I reckon we were a lot like starstruck parents when we had Kano. She was our bright sun, our everything. Never had to lift a finger, y’know?” 

Sighing again, he shrugged, “We had Yoshiko and everything was alright. But like I said, Edna had that fever. It was a real bad fever, y’know? She changed after that. She demanded we start giving the girls responsibilities, that they’d be useless when they got out in the real world. Had the boy and by that point, it was okay. The girls just had to take out the trash or do the dishes. Normal stuff, I’d say. 

“Your mother hated that with a passion though. Always went on and on about how we used to do everything and now we were downright slave drivers because we had her do some work. Her mother and her argued like cats and dogs daily. I just told her if she did it quickly it’d be over quick. But nah…” 

Gwen recalled when Kyo made her clean the house, before they were actually a couple, and how her mother nearly had an aneurysm and wanted to call the maid from their Japanese house. Jeez. 

“And when she left, she left” he shook his head, “Didn’t tell me she was getting married or about you or your sister. Had to find it all out from Yoshiko.” 

“Honestly, I didn’t know I had an aunt either.” 

“Oh lordy, those girls didn’t get along” he said with a laugh, “Like oil and water. Yoshiko was like her mother: get your tasks done quick, be responsible, strict stern. Considered her sister kind of dilly. But I suppose by that point Yoshiko had already had Shin and Kurt so your mama turned to her for some advice on the mothering thing.” 

Gwen just shook her head, “Maybe. But I still can’t believe her! She doesn’t talk to her father because you gave her some stupid things to do when she was young. It’s dumb as hell.” 

“I don’t reckon she made you do any cleaning growing up” he cocked a brow. 

“No, but Kyo definitely set me straight early on that” she groaned. 

He laughed, “Kyo’s a certified country boy. Probably had to roll out of bed at the crack of dawn to help in the barn or help an animal give birth. I doubt he had that luxury of having maids.” 

“No” she sighed but smiled. 

“Nothing wrong with that though” he assured, “Seems awful useless to me, having someone clean up somebody else’s messes.” 

“It is” she agreed. 

“I suppose you’re the Yoshiko then.” 

Gwen had to laugh, “Yea, and Sara is definitely my mom.” 

She hugged her knees and sighed, “I wish my mother wasn’t so petty though. I really didn’t even know I had any Japanese heritage before Kurt came. I don’t even know him or Shin that well.” 

“Aww, you’ve probably already come to figure it out. Kurt’s the silent broody type who gets all happy around his kids and wife. Shin’s just the all around goof.” 

He slumped a bit, “Well, not right now anyway.” 

Gwen grimaced. “I heard Hotaru had a miscarriage.” 

She really wanted to send them condolences but she really didn’t know Joe that well. She did actually know Hotaru a lot better. It just seemed like a bad time… 

Woody sighed, “Yea, third one.” 

…What? Gwen looked up, alarmed, “ _Third_?” 

Woody blinked before nodding. Gwen gasped. How…how horrible! The poor thing! 

“She’s just so hellbent on not giving up” he said with a soft laugh dragging into a sigh, “Just she has to know that it’s killing her body, y’know? And it’s just plain simple that it doesn’t seem to be good for her.” 

Gwen couldn’t help feel sad, “But she really wants to have a baby, right?” 

“Her and Joe. It’s getting a little hard for them to keep trying, I think. It just always seems to end in a disappointment.” 

Gwen bit her lip before smiling, standing, “Thank you for the tea, ojii-san. And, uh, for rescuing me.” 

“You sure you okay?” his bushy brows furrowed. 

“Oh, I’m fine” she assured. 

“You can come back anytime you like” he told her, standing to walk over to his rather archaic looking television, “I don’t have much going on here but….” 

“I will, definitely!” she said brightly, waving, “Have a good day, ojii-san!” 

Skipping out, feeling rather accomplished as she’d finally talked with her mysterious grandfather, she figured now she wanted to go see Hotaru. 

Three miscarriages? It just seemed so heartbreaking. Gwen may not have wanted children but she could only imagine if she did and getting hurt time after time. But what did she know? She paused and sighed, pulling her ear. Whatever, she thought, growing resolute again. They were women. Women comforted each other. 

Marching towards their house, she knocked on the door, crossing her arms as she waited for an answer. It took a while but Inaba Hotaru answered, her usually rosy face drained, her pink hair pulled back into a ponytail. She smiled warmly like she usually did but it was so tired and distraught. 

“Hello, Gwen. How are you?” 

“I’m fine. I just came to see how you’re doing.” 

Hotaru sighed, her blue eyes growing dim, “Oh, I’m managing.” 

She invited Gwen in and went to the kitchen to make some beverages. Gwen stared around and called, “Is Joe home?” 

“Ah, no, he had to go supervise some work” she smiled anxiously, “I don’t think I can tolerate him being home in the first place.” 

Gwen frowned, “Why’s that?” 

She laughed gingerly, “He means well, I know, but he just tries to make everything seem okay, that…that it’s not really my fault with…everything.” 

Gwen gaped, “But it’s not, Hotaru!” 

She just seemed exhausted and Gwen scowled, “It’s not, really. You really want a child and you’re both going to be great parents when the time comes.” 

“But what if the time doesn’t come?” she whispered, her eyes tearing, “It…it is my fault, you know? The-the babies are fine but-but something comes along and hurts them so I have to be doing something wrong.” 

Gwen bit her lip and hugged the woman, comforting her. It wasn’t Hotaru’s fault, she knew that, but sometimes it just didn’t work out. She had to wonder though. 

“Have you guys thought about other options?” Gwen questioned. 

Hotaru breathed softly, “Well, adoption I’d love to do but I do want to have my own child as well before that. And Joe and I are so afraid of surrogacy.” 

Gwen’s eyes creased, “Why is that?” 

“Oh, you know they passed that silly bill a while back that says the carrier can decide if they want to keep the child” she frowned, shaking her head, “It’ll get overturned one day, I’m sure, but they can still fight it, decide to keep our child. It’d…it’d break my heart.” 

Gwen opened her mouth before revelation absolutely hit her. 

“Hotaru!” she gasped, “ _I_ can be the surrogate mother for you!” 

Hotaru’s eyes widened as she gazed at Gwen, “…What?” 

“I can carry it! I wouldn’t change my mind, I don’t even want kids! And I’d be nearby and we’re family and it’d be great!” 

“Oh…Gwen, that’s-that’s such an extreme thing to request” she rasped. 

Gwen shook her head, “Ojii-san told me that I would find something to do while Kyo was away that I would find fulfilling like how he’s off finding himself. This is it!” 

Hotaru gnawed her lip, “But you’re Joe’s cousin, wouldn’t that cause…defects?” 

“Well, it’d be your egg, it wouldn’t be one of mine” she insisted, “And besides, I’ve heard cases of siblings and even parents doing surrogacy for one another! It’d be fine.” 

The pink haired woman stared, startled, before smiling softly, “I’d, uh, have to discuss it with Joe and I really think you should think about it more. You’re in school and working. Being pregnant is hard.” 

“I want to” Gwen said seriously, standing, “Really! Ask Joe. I’m going to go now but I’ll call you back in a few days, okay?” 

“Okay…” 

Hotaru looked after her. Gwen meant well. Honestly, she really, really did… 

She just didn’t know that sometimes good intentions could hurt the most. 

X 

Inaba Joe sighed, exhausted, as he walked into his country home, feeling ill. When he married Hotaru, he was so happy. God, that sounded assholish. He was _still_ happy being married to his wife. But… 

…Three times? 

They tried changing everything they did each time after the first baby. They trained their diet, they cut down on her movement, they _changed_. So why? Why couldn’t they have a baby? 

Biting his lip, sighing, he tugged off his bandana and smiled warmly as Hotaru looked up from the counter. She gave him a meek smile, cutting some vegetables. “Welcome home, darling.” 

He walked over, kissing her lips warmly, “Hey. How’s your day been?” 

“…Interesting.” 

He paused as he started to pick up his paper as he usually did, pretty startled. His wife, after these incidences, answered this question usually with ‘good’. That’s it, just ‘good’, a forced expression that she neither felt nor meant but just wanted to protect him from her pain. But ‘interesting’? 

She handed him a beer and he smiled at her before sitting at the counter, opening his paper as he cocked a brow at her, “Interesting? What happened?” 

“Gwen came by” she announced, pouring water into a pan, “Offered her condolences…” 

“Oh…” 

Hotaru gave him a brief glance before clearing her throat, “She, um, also brought up something.” 

Joe popped the top off the beer and took a brief sip, regarding her briefly before glancing at the headline. “What’s that?” 

“Uh, she seemed kind of interested in carrying our baby.” 

Joe stopped reading mid-sentence before his navy blue eyes raised to his wife. Her back was turned to him, humming as she fried something. 

…What? 

“…Gwen offered to do _what_?” 

Hotaru turned to him finally and smiled anxiously, “I-I told her we were afraid to use surrogates because they could change their mind but-but she said she wouldn’t and that she’d be willing.” 

Joe’s brows creased and he shook his head, sipping his beer, “But you don’t want that, right?” 

Hotaru’s blue gaze kind of narrowed strangely though it didn’t affect her usually serene appearance, “What do you want though, darling?” 

He frowned, “…I don’t know.” 

Standing, feeling like this just was going to get uncomfortable, he walked into the living room. Hotaru naturally followed and he sighed, slamming down on the couch. Hotaru sat beside him, pouting. “Good idea or bad idea, Shin?” 

He grimaced. Shin. She refused to call him that usually because it was her father’s name but that just meant she was serious. “It’s…it’s an…interesting idea, baby. I mean, Gwen’s in school and stuff though.” 

“But do you want to?” 

Joe sighed, slouching, “…It’s…it’s bad for you to keep putting your body through this, Hotaru. You know what the doctor said.” 

She stared at her knees and picked at her skirt, “But…?” 

“But…if Gwen wanted to and realized what she was getting herself into, I’d like that. It’d be kind of comforting as she’s in both our families.” 

Hotaru bit her lip, “So…we should?” 

He sighed, “What do you want, Hotaru?” 

“It’s fine! We should! I’ll go tell her!” she smiled, standing. 

Joe frowned and grasped her wrist before she took off, “Hotaru, I only want your happiness. If you’re not thrilled about this idea--” 

“I want a baby” she insisted, “It’s…it’s a fine idea.” 

Pulling away, she skittered into the kitchen and Joe sighed, slumping. Somehow he was already questioning this 

X 

…What was she thinking? 

Lying on her back, Gwen stared, nauseous, at the ceiling as Jilliana ran the monitor over her belly. 

“I don’t think you need that thing, I know I’m pregnant…” she groaned miserably. 

Jilliana laughed warmly, “Morning sickness?” 

“Morning, noon, and night sickness is more like it” she muttered, sweeping her eyes over her brow. 

Jilliana glanced at the screen and smiled softly, “Yea, you’re definitely pregnant.” 

It was a whirlwind. Hotaru called her back that same day and told her that Joe was okay with it. Gwen, excited, scheduled an appointment the next day. They said she was actually the perfect candidate and started the shots. Joe and Hotaru had seemed embarrassed about the whole extraction thing, but alas… 

Well, it was a good thing she and Kyo had really protected sex because she seemed to be extremely fertile. 

Oh yea, Kyo. Well, naturally, he was away and he very rarely got a clear signal. Every time he did, he called but the call lasted for like a minute. So yea, she _kind of_ did this without informing him. 

Hotaru and Joe were kind of reluctant about it, of course. He was her husband, he should have some say. But she convinced them that, _well_ , Kyo would be gone for a year. So technically she’d have the baby while he was away. Okay, it was horrible but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. 

Sitting up on the table, she let out a breath and Jilliana smiled, “It’s so nice what you’re doing for those two. They’ve wanted a baby for so long.” 

“Oh yea, I should tell them, right?” Gwen said happily. 

“I would think so” Jilliana laughed, grabbing her clipboard and pulling a pen out of the pocket of her stiff white coat, “I’m going to get you some vitamins, all right?” 

Gwen nodded as the woman left briefly and bit her lip, grabbing her phone and pressing it to her ear. 

“Hello?” 

“Joe! Guess what? It took!” she said raspily. 

“…Really?” 

“Yea, I’m pregnant” she sighed. 

“That’s-that’s great! Lemme call Hotaru! Oh, this is so awesome! It’s actually happening” her cousin suddenly gushed, “We have to celebrate and stuff! How about dinner tonight? Oh wait, I want you to take it easy though, okay? Go take a nap or something or whatever, just don’t move around a lot.” 

Gwen smirked and rolled her eyes around, “Okay, will do. I have some homework to do so I’ll go do that and lie in bed.” 

“Sounds perfect! Thanks…thanks so much for this, Gwen. It’s so random but thank you.” 

“It’s no problem. I really wanted to” she murmured. 

Clicking off after a few more words, she sighed. So she was really doing this. It felt… 

Wonderful. 

X 

Remember she mentioned not having told Kyo? 

Yagami Jyun, Roomi, Nelly, and Shimizu Hoshiko looked at her rather blankly for a moment as they sat in Tenshiya, celebrating something they hadn’t realized involved her. 

“…What?” 

Gwen winced and laughed slowly, “I’m, uh, being a surrogate for Joe and Hotaru’s baby.” 

Jyun stared at her before slowly leaning back, his arms crossed, cocking a brow, “And Kyo agreed to this?” 

“Jyun, don’t be all cryptic. Y’know Kyo doesn’t know a thing about this” Roomi scowled at her husband. 

“I’m trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, thanks.” 

Gwen rubbed her brow, “No, Kyo _doesn’t_ know. But would he really be that upset about it?” 

“No, he wouldn’t be upset” Nelly remarked, sipping his wine, “More like _enraged_.” 

She pursed her lips and Shin, future grandfather, looked uncomfortable, “You really think he’d be angry?” 

“I really think you should have spoken to him” Hoshiko frowned, rubbing her swollen belly, “I don’t think he’ll be angry, necessarily, just irritated.” 

Jyun leaned on his elbow, cocking a brow as the ‘father’ and ‘mother’ arrived with Kurt and Carrie and the kids. Joe looked delighted. 

Gwen glared, hissing before they got any closer, “Look, I really want to do this for Hotaru and Joe. They’ve been through a lot! I’ll deal with Kyo but I don’t think he’ll be all that adverse to it! Just don’t say anything.” 

Jyun just kind of smirked as his sister and wife exchanged a look, “You really don’t know my brother that well.” 

Feeling like she wasn’t being supported, she wanted to yell or cry but Nelly waved a hand. “It’s okay, let’s just hope for a smooth pregnancy and that it comes way _way_ before Kyo gets back.” 

Gwen frowned but quickly smiled when Hotaru approached, looking happy, “Hi guys!” 

She sat beside Gwen, “How are you feeling?” 

“A little nauseous.” 

Hotaru nodded and Joe frowned, “Can you take anything for that?” 

Gwen sniffed, “I forgo taking any medicine from this point forward.” 

Roomi had been silent up to that but snickered, “Oh God, you’re going au natural, silly girl?” 

“Why not? Women didn’t use drugs to have babies back in the old days!” Gwen insisted. 

“Yea, and a lot of them died too.” 

Gwen just groaned and Hoshiko looked startled, “Oh, I never even thought about that! What should I do?” 

“Oh, I was gung-ho like Ms. Blonde here too when I had Fuji” Roomi sighed airily, “I knew it wouldn’t happen again when I threatened to kill everyone in the room.” 

Jyun smirked, pouring himself another glass, “I don’t know, you still had a minor rendition of that with Kam.” 

“You kidding? She had the full version before you arrived. Threatened to kill me and Kyo” snorted Nelly. 

Jyun laughed and Roomi sighed airily, “Men will never understand.” 

“I assure you, sweetheart, if any of us could have a baby we’d have you beat tenfold” Jyun retorted. 

Nelly snickered in agreement before smiling at Hotaru and Joe, “But congratulations, you two.” 

Koji walked over, slamming down beside his twin, sipping a beer, “Yea, congrats. You too, Shin.” 

Shin glanced at Lyla, his wife and Hotaru’s mother, who just gave him a smile, “We’re happy for you, baby.” 

“Are you, mama?” Hotaru said nervously, “It doesn’t look like it.” 

“Of course we are” Shin insisted gently. 

Roomi opened her mouth, probably to declare something about the Kyo business but Hoshiko _and_ Jyun quickly covered her mouth while Joe and Hotaru weren’t looking, sending her a look. Her blue eyes just narrowed but she kept silent when they moved. 

Gwen felt kind of surprised. Why were they being so weird? This wasn’t like the family she’d gotten used to. Joe was chattering on excitedly the rest of the night. Hotaru was kind of quiet though, she noted. 

“Are you okay?” questioned Gwen, eating a salad, “You’re kind of silent, Hotaru.” 

The pink-haired woman perked, startled, “Oh! Oh no, I’m fine. Really.” 

Gwen tilted her head but shrugged, smiling. Well, whatever. It probably was a tad overwhelming. She’d have a baby soon. Feeling tired after a few hours, she started to retire for the evening. 

Jyun, eating a slice of cake, ‘mm’d’, “Yea, I need to roll too. I have some work to do.” 

Roomi smiled and said as she stood, Jyun helping her with her coat, “Congratulations, you two. A baby is a handful but it’ll be worth it.” 

Joe beamed and Hotaru nodded with a smile. Gwen hugged the two before wandering out with Jyun, Roomi, and Hoshiko. As soon as they were outside, Hoshiko whistled and Jyun sighed, “I knew it.” 

Gwen scowled, “What?” 

“Sheesh, don’t be blonde” Roomi snorted, “Hotaru _hates_ this.” 

Gwen glanced at her, shocked, before grunting, “What makes you say that? She seemed happy to me!” 

Jyun shrugged, “She’s usually a lot different when she’s happy about something, Gwen. But don’t worry about it, maybe it’s just that she’s anxious right now.” 

She frowned. Yea, that must be it. On top of it being overwhelming, it hadn’t really been that long since she’d lost the baby. 

Biting her lip, she frowned, “Maybe I should have waited? I mean, you know, until she could reconcile with losing the baby more?” 

Roomi shook her head, “You don’t ever reconcile with that, Gwen.” 

Gwen grimaced, not realizing her words before it felt like something had started to swim through her body. Biting her lip, curling over for a second, she groaned as a wave of utter nausea hit her. “Blegh…” 

Jyun helped her, grasping her waist and walked her towards their car, “Gwen, are you really sure about this? Are you sure you’re not doing this because Kyo is away and you just need a distraction?” 

“Partially” she mumbled, trying to keep her head from lolling against his shoulder, “And partially because I needed something fulfilling to do.” 

Roomi frowned before sighing, climbing into the passenger seat as Jyun helped Hoshiko and Gwen into the back. “I would have gotten a puppy.” 

X 

Inaba Hotaru sat up in her room, frowning, glancing at the clock for maybe the hundredth time. One a.m. 

Where was he? 

Hugging her knees, she shook her head. Why did she even ask herself that? He was probably off taking care of Gwen and their baby. Hotaru closed her eyes and took a breath. Oh God, why? She was dreadfully excited. She couldn’t wait to hold the baby in her arms. She was thankful to Gwen… 

… 

Biting her lip, hating that she was angry, she jumped when the door opened. Joe wandered in, looking exhausted but content. 

…He was so happy lately. 

“Hey baby! How are you?” 

“…Okay. Did you check on Gwen?” she asked, climbing out of bed to wander over to the window. 

Tugging off his shirt, he nodded, “Mm, she’s doing a lot better. No more morning sickness and whatnot. She said you came by today though so you know that.” 

Hotaru nodded and sat on the windowsill. Joe started to gush again. “Can you believe it though? Six more months! It’s amazing! Oh! We should start working on the nursery!” 

Staring out the window, she didn’t really understand her words but she murmured, “What if I told you I don’t want it?” 

Joe paused as he started to walk towards the bathroom. He turned around and blinked, “…What?” 

“What if I told you _I_ was the only one that…” 

She stopped speaking and his brows creased as he turned around, “What’s going on with you lately, Hotaru? You’ve been acting a little strange. Aren’t you happy about the baby?” 

“Not as happy as you are” she said bitterly, feeling tears sting in her eyes. 

Joe looked incredulous, “What is this?! Why now?!” 

She just threw her hands up and started to stalk out of the room but not before Joe caught her arms, looking mortified. “Hotaru, all I want is for you to be happy! Wh-what do we tell Gwen now though? ‘Oh, we changed our minds, you can have it’?” 

“Of course not!” she blurted, blanching, “What a horrible thing to do or even think!” 

“You’re the one that said you wanted this!” he snapped, “And now what? You don’t?!” 

“ _You_ said you did!” she wept, trying to struggle away, “I thought you’d say _no_ _._ ” 

He released her and licked his lips slowly before laughing irritably, “So…so you asked me under the assumption that I’d never agree to it. And you made me think you agreed with it and now? Now what, Hotaru? Now what?” 

She shrugged backwards, staring at her feet, and Joe just rapidly shook his head, stalking out of the room, “I’m going to sleep on the couch.” 

Hotaru bit her lip and rushed after him, “Joe, darling, please. I don’t want you to be angry with me. It’s…it’s just this weird feeling I have, okay?” 

“It’s fine, Hotaru.” 

“It’s not!” she rasped, running ahead of him to stop him, “I-I’m jealous…” 

Joe stopped and angled a look at her. Swallowing, ringing her hands, she laughed anxiously. “I…I can’t haveyour baby. It…it upsets me that…that when we hold our baby, it…it won’t be because of me, it’ll be because of Gwen. And-and I’m so thankful for her, I really am, I just…” 

Joe sighed, pulling her into his arms, “You are this baby’s mother, you understand? Nothing is taking that from us.” 

“I…I know that…” she whispered before nibbling at her lower lip, “But…one…one more chance?” 

He stared at her, puzzled but she grabbed the belt buckle to his pants, loosening it. 

“Woah, woah!” he jumped, shocked, “W-wait, Hotaru, I know you can’t mean--” 

She silenced him with a kiss, finding the button, unsnapping, unzipping. He groaned into her mouth as she stroked him. 

“S-stop” he rasped as she nipped at his lower lip, “You-we-…” 

It wasn’t fair but she knew he wouldn’t ever say no to her. He’d give his all for her. He moaned as she touched him, screamed when he was satisfied… 

…And she could feel it. 

X 

“What the _hell_ is going on?” 

Yagami Gwen sat in the kitchen of her brother-in-law’s house, holding her slightly rounded stomach as she gaped wordlessly. What… _was_ going on? 

Three months. It was the most amazing, excruciating, wonderful three months of her life. She went everywhere feeling that she was doing something great. She felt ecstatic that she was finally going to give the baby to her cousin and his wife that they always wanted. 

She got lonely a lot less now, she noticed. She had to worry that this life she was growing inside of her and that it was properly cared for in the long run. If she ever got bored, she read, did some Lamaze exercises, talked to the girls who were stunned senseless and they planned to come visit her soon, and homework. 

…School. 

School, she had slightly forgone in a sense. She finished this semester and next semester it was all online courses. Not once would she set foot at school with a belly the size of a planet. Tomei-sensei would murder her. 

So she was delighted, contented, happy. She thought Joe and Hotaru were too. They always seemed so perfectly happy. 

Jyun pursed his lips, tapping the counter impatiently. Ever since Kyo went away, he had become somewhat protective of her, which she found strange. She didn’t really feel she needed that protection they bestowed so heavily on their wives and female siblings. But nevertheless, it was somewhat comforting right now. 

Joe was leaning against the door, swallowing and looked awkwardly at his feet. Jyun was just pinning him with a look. “What. The. Hell? I _had_ to mishear you.” 

“N-no. Hotaru’s…pregnant” he sighed heavily, like the world was on his shoulders. 

Gwen bit her lip and Jyun looked angry, “So you guys just had Gwen get fertilized for no reason, is that it? I think she could have found better things to do than have your baby for you to decide later that, ‘oh, never mind, we can do it!’.” 

Grimacing, he shook his head, “That’s not how it is!” 

Gwen bowed her head and Joe rushed over, grasping her shoulders, “H-hey, c’mon, believe me, i-it wasn’t my idea, okay? I’m still so grateful to you for doing this and it’s not like that. Hotaru and I still are really hyped about you having the baby for us and we can’t wait.” 

“Then…why’s Hotaru pregnant too?” she questioned slowly. 

Joe looked helpless and Jyun scowled, “She was jealous, right?” 

Gwen shot a look at him before looking at Joe to say ignore him…but faltered when she found the kind of ambiguous look on his face. 

…Jealous? 

“S-she’s not, right?” Gwen quickly questioned, “I-I mean, I’m not doing this to show off or anything! Hotaru has to know that, right? I-I wanted to help you guys, I wanted to feel like I was giving back. I-I felt I wanted to do _something_. I wasn’t trying to make Hotaru jealous!” 

“Don’t get worked up” he bit his lip, “I…I don’t know what’s gotten into her. She’s always been so insecure about the baby thing. I…I can’t say.” 

Gwen started to snivel and Jyun groaned, “Don’t cry, it’s okay. They’ll just have double time with the babies. They’re just helping so they won’t have an only child, okay? You know they get spoiled rotten, right?” 

“I guess” she whimpered, “C-can you take me home, Jyun?” 

“Of course.” 

“I-I can take you” Joe insisted weakly. 

Jyun grunted, helping his sister-in-law up, “I think you’ve done enough for now. You know, this goes in the category of ‘screwing with people’s lives’. This is nine months that Gwen’s dedicated to you guys. Way to be ungrateful.” 

“H-hey…” 

But they walked out and Joe pursed his lips. “…I…I didn’t have anything to do with it.” 

Roomi walked in, holding Kamon who was asleep against her shoulder, “Oh, so you didn’t have sex with and get your wife pregnant?” 

“…Well, I did do that.” 

She snorted, sitting down, humming to her son, “Your wife’s insecure and so is your cousin. Someone should have sat down and really thought about this. As far as I’m concerned, the three of you just got drunk on an idea, did it, and didn’t even slow down to think. I mean, unless you thought you’d be a super stud, having two chicks preggos at the same time.” 

“It’s nothing like that!” 

Roomi just rolled her eyes and muttered, “You might want to cancel this baby shower you two have planned. At least until you can get all this settled.” 

“N-no, it-it has to be done now” he mumbled, “H-Hotaru’s planned it too long.” 

The purple haired woman sent him a ‘seriously?’ look before sighing, “Well, pregnant women brawling does sound interesting.” 

X 

Inaba Hotaru bit her lip as she paced the house, passing and looking out each window and door as she passed them. Ugh, why’d she let herself get so bothered? 

She felt so foolish, so heartless, so horrible when she woke up, tangled in Joe’s arms as they slept on the floor. Gwen did mean well, she really did but all Hotaru did was so conniving. She should have refused the offer, she should have mentioned it to Joe, not believing or assuming he’d refuse the idea as well but saying she was against it but what did he think? Maybe he would have helped her overcome some of her own troubles. Maybe she wouldn’t feel so conflicted. No, instead, now she was pregnant. 

The whole family was there, save for Kyo naturally. 

…And Gwen. Oh, what had she done? 

Walking back to where all the women were, she smiled some, “I’m, uh, sure she’s on her way.” 

“Noooo she’s not.” 

Hotaru looked up, startled, as Jyun and Joe walked in, both looking kind of exasperated, “She refuses.” 

Hoshiko frowned, “She refuses?” 

Jyun, his hands stuffed into his pockets, gnawed at the corner of his lip, “Yea, she’s kind of upset about this whole business so she doesn’t want to come but _insists_ that we continue the festivities.” 

Hotaru kneaded her hands, feeling sick for other reasons besides pregnancy nausea, “B-but she’s the _reason_ we’re celebrating! She-she has to come!” 

Joe just kind of shot her a glance before mumbling, “We shouldn’t push it, Hotaru.” 

She trembled, pursing her lips before grabbing her purse, “I-I’ll go talk to her. This is all my fault.” 

Her husband, however, held up an arm, “No, Hotaru.” 

She gave him a pleading look but Jyun cleared his throat, “I think you’re the last person she wants to see right now, Hotaru, no offense.” 

Hotaru looked utterly crestfallen and Carrie rubbed her brow from her seat on the couch, “Our family sure has a penchant for the melodramatic…” 

“Definitely…” sighed Kaede. 

Celia smoothed her skirt, looking up awkwardly, “I think someone still needs to go talk to her. This is for her and, regardless, I’m sure you two are grateful to her.” 

“Very!” Hotaru insisted, starting for the door again, “Th-that’s why I need to apologize!” 

“I think we should send someone kind of detached from the current situation” Roomi suddenly said, her arms crossed, “You know, someone that Gwen probably won’t feel has been on her case.” 

“I could send my grandfather” Joe said slowly. 

Carrie snorted, “Woody would kick your ass for being an idiot.” 

Joe glared sulkily at his sister-in-law before his eyes widened. Kurt was sitting beside his wife with his trademark frown. Joe gasped. “Kurt! You’re perfect! You haven’t had much of anything to do with this!” 

Kurt’s navy eyes widened and he glanced around quickly as if Joe were addressing another ‘Kurt’. “Are you crazy? I’ve said like five words to Gwen since she’s been in Japan!” 

Carrie smirked, cocking a brow, “Something you shouldn’t be all that proud of, baby.” 

He pouted and Joe looked at him pleadingly, “Please, baby brother? Think of it as a huge favor!” 

Kurt opened his mouth just as Hotaru burst into tears, “I don’t want Gwen to hate me-e-e-e!” 

Her father grimaced and held her shoulders, trying to comfort her, and Kurt just leered. “Must you get yourself into such trouble? Must you?” 

Joe just grinned anxiously and Kurt’s eyes narrowed before he grumbled, standing and stalking out of the house, “You’re sending the _worst_ person.” 

“That’s it, baby! Take one for the team!” Carrie cheered. 

“But don’t make the situation worse than it is either!” Joe bellowed. 

“Bleh…” 

There was something too crazy about this family. Or maybe he was just crazy for following along with their craziness… 

X 

She was so selfish. 

Gwen swallowed as she sat in the bay window of her home, curled up. Staring at the sky as it sank into evening, she couldn’t help but feel that she deserved this. 

Had she sat down and considered her cousin-in-law’s feelings at all? She just automatically assumed that Hotaru needed her and needed her ability to have a possibly healthy child. She almost insisted that she do so, made Hotaru feel uncomfortable. Gwen probably missed all the signs in her gung-ho attitude of Hotaru not wanting to do this. But no, no, because _she_ needed fulfillment, _she_ needed a purpose, she completely neglected Hotaru’s feelings. 

She placed herself properly in Hotaru’s shoes now. Three times she conceived a child with her husband, three times she decorated a nursery, had a baby shower, named the child and each time, there was a bitter heart-wrenching disappointment. 

If Gwen wanted to have Kyo’s child, if she just had a change of heart, and she realized she couldn’t she’d feel utterly inadequate. She’d hate that she couldn’t do something so simple, so inherent, so natural because of no apparent fault of her own. But she’d find that fault, find that reason, hate herself for it. Women carried the child. It wasn’t necessary to a female’s existence to have a child but a man couldn’t have a child, that’s their specialty, in a matter of speaking. And if she couldn’t do her “specialty”, what else could she possibly think of yourself but that she was ‘defective’, ‘worthless’, ‘broken’? 

Women did come to terms with it, that they’d not have that baby they always wanted on their own. Well, maybe it always stung but they came to the realization. They accepted it as best they could. That’s why they had surrogates. 

But maybe Hotaru never accepted it. 

Gwen would hold any woman that carried Kyo’s child in contempt if she were in Hotaru’s place. That woman was capable of doing the one thing she couldn’t: give birth to the man she love’s child. She’d probably try to smile, to be happy, but deep down she knew she’d probably loathe that person, that person that held the ability to do something she couldn’t. 

Sniveling, burying her face into her knees, she laughed bitterly. She just wanted to help. She got arrogant, maybe, thinking she was a gift, but she honestly wanted to help. Kyo was off in another land discovering what his goal meant and discovering the culture of another people to pass on to the generations. She…she wanted to do her part too, to discover what it meant to help someone, to see what it told her about herself. 

And in the end, she just ended up hating herself. 

“Uh, h-hey.” 

Gwen jumped a bit and lifted her glittering eyes…Kurt? 

Her older cousin looked extremely awkward and nervous as he closed the door behind him, clearing his throat, “Are…are you okay?” 

Wiping her eyes, she sniffed and stood, biting her lip, “I’m fine. Is everything okay?” 

“Oh, uh, everything’s okay” he laughed slowly, “Just was sent to figure out why you aren’t coming to your baby shower.” 

Gwen sat back down and shrugged, “It’s not _my_ baby shower. It’s Hotaru’s so it should be okay that I’m not there.” 

Kurt frowned and came a tad closer before stopping, “Perhaps. But there wouldn’t be any reason to celebrate if it weren’t for you.” 

“Hotaru’s pregnant too” she mumbled. 

Kurt sighed at that, stuffing his hands in his pockets, as he slowly sank down on the seat, at a distance. “Do you think Hotaru did that to spite you?” 

“N-no! I just think she felt like I was the stupid young twit that thought I could fix everything. She has every right to hate me” she sniveled. 

“She doesn’t hate you” he insisted gently before rubbing his brow, “Hotaru and Joe met each other when they were already in their thirties. I think by that point she didn’t really think she’d meet someone. She always wanted a baby though, according to her sister and, I guess she just assumed it’d work out differently.” 

She frowned and shook her head, “I…” 

“Hotaru is a really nice person” he said after a moment, “Like, really nice. But even really nice people can have their moments where they just hate everything. And I can tell she already regrets it but she’s human. She…she wanted one last shot to have a baby of her own.” 

Gwen bit her lip and Kurt offered her a cautious smile, “She needs you especially now, Gwen. It’s awful of me to say it possibly, or even think it, but I think after the first baby she grew doubtful, worried, stressed that the same thing will occur. The mental strain may have been enough to…” 

He paused and shook his head, “I know it’s probably a physical thing more so but I think if you mentally tell yourself that your baby can die and let it overtake you…” 

“I hadn’t really thought about that” she admitted slowly. 

“So there you go. You need to keep her flourishing, happy, treating this baby like it’s a life, not like it’s a possible death” he replied, “And just think, the baby you’re carrying and her baby will be siblings, companions. I know a few only children that said that they always wanted a sibling but alas…” 

Gwen snorted, “I wish I was an only child.” 

“Well, your sister was definitely on a different wavelength last I met her…” 

She laughed softly, sighing, “Is this really okay? Should I apologize?” 

“I think that what’s done is done” he stated, “You guys kind of did this whole thing in a fury. It could have been talked over a bit more but there’s no going back now so I think it’s fine. You and Hotaru just have to open up your lines of communication more. And believe me, it’ll help.” 

Gwen stared at him before bursting into tears. He gaped, alarmed, “W-what’s wrong?! Did I say something?!” 

“N-no but you didn’t have to come and you’re being nice to me!” she wept. 

Kurt groaned, lightly hugging her shoulder, “God, you women and your pregnant hormones.” 

She sniffled and he smiled, “Want to go to the party now?” 

“…Yea.” 

He helped her up and they made their way back to Hotaru and Joe’s home. Hotaru burst into unabashed tears, proclaiming that she was selfish and that she just wanted to carry Joe’s child too. Gwen assured her that she understood. They sat down and talked about it for a bit, concluding that this would work out fine, that everything would be great. 

It’d been five months since Kyo had gone away to South America. Thus far, she’d ended up pregnant. 

Kurt shyly offered her a slice of cake and Woody hit Joe in the head for doing ‘blockheaded things’ involving his Lovely. She smiled. 

One of her primary reasons to agreeing let Kyo go was to finish her major…maybe it helped in a few other ways too. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yea, I had a mind melter with the family tree in this chapter. In Leave Out All the Rest, remember Kurt and Carrie had the crazed grandmother that tried to keep her from giving birth to Emma…I realized that she was addressed as Yoshiko’s (Kurt and Joe’s mom) mother. Yoshiko is supposed to be Kano’s (Gwen and Sara’s mom) sister…
> 
> Thing is, I wanted Woody to be Joe and Kurt’s father’s (Wataru or Ken) dad but it somehow turned into Woody being Yoshiko and Kano’s dad. Now, I also intended for Woody’s wife to be deceased for whatever reason and yet, the evil grandmother…
> 
> So it’ll be fixed up later. I’m aiming that the two divorced since she changed.


	18. Lesson Eighteen

Yagami Jyun stared at his sister-in-law, ‘as big as a house’, as she ate some of Roomi’s spaghetti voraciously. Kamon, opening his mouth wide as he ate some grapes, stared at her as he munched before commenting. 

“You big.” 

“Kamon! Don’t be rude” Roomi scolded. 

Gwen laughed, “You know it’s weird he talks so clearly, right? He’s only one.” 

“I wish he’d shut up too” snorted Jyun, eating a slice of cheese. 

“Jerk!” Kamon declared. 

Roomi chidingly tapped both of them, putting some bread on the table, “Don’t start that, you two.” 

Kamon and Jyun went silent and Gwen smiled, patting her swollen belly, as Roomi sat beside her, dishing out the main course, “Kamon, Auntie Gwen has a baby inside of her. She’s not big.” 

Kamon frowned, “Baby?” 

“Yea, like you” Fujiwako stated simply. 

The young overly bright baby looked utterly aghast and Jyun laughed, “The baby’s okay in there, buddy, don’t be traumatized.” 

Eight months. 

Gwen had had a pretty breezy pregnancy. Sort of, anyway. She took her hat off to Kaede, Popuri, and everyone else that had more than two of these little critters. The pregnancy part alone seemed like a ‘I’ll never do this ever again!’ deal breaker. But… 

After the whole both being pregnant debacle, her and Hotaru had really gotten along great. Over time, Gwen grew happy that the woman was dealing with the same things she was so they can complain and commiserate over the swollen feet and growing stretch marks. Gwen did as Kurt advised, keeping the woman hopeful and taking her mind off everything by going to the movies or the spa with her and buying things for the babies. It seemed to work. Joe even commented that Hotaru was glowing and more happy than she usually was. Gwen could only hope. 

Jyun ‘mm’d’ when there was a knock at the door, wiping his lips with a napkin as he stood to answer. Gwen smiled as Shimizu Hoshiko walked in, her new baby, Kaori, in her arms, sighing. 

“Hi people.” 

Jyun offered her a chair and she sighed, “Julius is stuck at Ai. He has that huge project going on so now I’m bored.” 

“It’s pretty huge” Jyun agreed, “But he is taking it way too seriously too.” 

Roomi sipped her tea, “Nah, that last project fell apart pretty hard. He hated that so I guess he would.” 

Hoshiko sighed and Jyun drank his coffee, sighing, “It’s okay, I’m sure plenty of designers have gone through that.” 

Gwen frowned and Roomi smiled at her, “Sorry dear, bringing work to the table. Have you heard from Kyo-chan?” 

The blonde sighed, “For a minute last night, he was saying something about he was excited then it died.” 

They all nodded and Jyun blinked, “You have your bags and stuff packed for the hospital, right? Our family has a tendency of having our kids a month premature.” 

Gwen smiled and nodded, “Yea, I’m ready.” 

“I bet! It sucked” groaned Hoshiko, cooing as Kaori fussed a bit, “Yes it did but you’re worth it.” 

Jyun took Kaori and cooed, kissing her lips, “I wuvvles my niecy.” 

They ate and Kurt, Joe, Carrie, and Hotaru joined them later for dessert. Gwen went home late and felt cold in the empty house though she didn’t feel unhappy. She really liked her family right now. 

…She would really like if her husband was here too though. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Do men abuse women or do women abuse men?” 

Gwen glared at the multiple “choice” question with all the options leaning towards the former and that dead last one that said, ‘no’. Where was ‘it can go both ways’? 

She buried her face in her hands. For the love of God, why didn’t she drop her major when she realized it wasn't conveying the right message? She conferred with other schools about their program and none were this insane. There were, of course, some crazed ‘it’s all men’s fault’ teachers but the whole damn program wasn’t like that. She really hated it. 

Sighing, she stood and stroked her belly as the girl inside kicked. She smiled. A girl. Hotaru asked her what they should name it and she insisted that they choose. Hotaru really wanted her to though so Gwen asked how she felt about ‘Ai’ because she made this somewhat sacrifice for love. Hotaru had burst into tears, hormones as Kurt put it, saying it was perfect. Inaba Ai. 

Joe wanted to name Hotaru’s baby, a boy, after his father. Hotaru wanted to do the same, it seemed. That way the baby would be named after its father and hers but Joe didn’t seem all that fond of that idea. She suggested combining the names then. Kurt had been there and cocked a brow. 

“… _Kenshin?”_

“ _As much as I love that manga…” Joe stroked his chin._

“ _Shinaru?” chimed Hotaru._

“ _Our son would have to write his name in katakana!”_

“ _Shen with an e?”_

“…” 

_Kurt blinked, “I kind of like that. Inaba Shen.”_

_Joe grunted before shrugging, “I…I guess.”_

Ai and Shen, Gwen sighed happily. Perfect. Everything was so great. 

Her heart nearly jumped into her throat when the door started to jiggle open. Gaping, utterly alarmed, she nearly screamed. Who was breaking in in broad daylight?! Starting to run, she was startled when she heard the jangle of keys. 

…Oh God. 

Suitcases in hand, hair a tinge of golden brown blond, skin tanned like his brother’s had been, he opened his mouth with a happy smile on his face before gaping and gawking, staring at her. 

…..Oh God, Kyo. 

His mouth opened and closed for a moment before he gritted his teeth and grunted, “I can’t believe this.” 

Gwen gawped at him and he hissed, “Jesus, I’m gone ten months and you-you do this to me? I didn’t even think about sleeping with another woman!” 

… _Wait a second_. “I didn’t cheat on you!!” she snapped, furious. 

“Well that certainly can’t be _mine_!!” 

“It’s _Joe's_.” 

Kyo’s eyes widened to near saucers at that and he stared at her, mortified. “…Gwen, I mean, I’m not going to vindicate adultery but you could do a lot better _outside_ your gene pool.” 

Grunting, she glared, “Kyo, I’m carrying Hotaru and Joe’s baby for them. Hotaru had another miscarriage so we decided to try this.” 

She expected that to calm him down, to make him understand, but the look on his face didn’t seem to say so. Licking his lips, he glanced at the ceiling. 

“Couldn’t have run that past me first? You know, make sure I didn’t have some objections?” 

“When?! The longest your phone held a call was three minutes!” 

“I had email! You emailed me stuff all the time! And I could respond to email at least twice a month!” he countered. 

“Oh, be tee double u, Kyo, I want to have Joe and Hotaru’s baby! Isn’t that great, el oh el, smiley face?” she snorted sarcastically. 

“Which I would have responded to with a double u tee eff is wrong with you?!” 

Gwen wanted to smack him, feeling tears tug at her eyes, “I thought you’d be happy! I’m helping both our families! Why are you being such a jerk?!” 

Kyo buried his face in his hands, “L-look, just-- _ugh_!” 

“Why are you home _anyway_?” she snapped. 

He leered at her, “Oh, _I_ see. You planned to not tell me this was going down because I’d still be away by the time you had the baby. Clever. Really, really clever.” 

“Kyo!” 

“There was a virus going around the camps” Kyo muttered finally, “The anthropologists got really ill and they just decided we had to go since we weren’t immune to it.” 

“Y-you didn’t get sick?” she said worriedly. 

“No” he mumbled. 

Kyo awkwardly avoided staring at her and mumbled, “…Did…did you really have to?” 

She started to tap her foot irritably and he mumbled, “I mean, we aren’t going to have a baby but seeing you like this is just like…taunting me.” 

Gwen was surprised. “…Kyo.” 

He swallowed visibly and Gwen realized she hadn’t seen him in ten months. 

Waddling over to him as fast as she could, grasping the side of his face, she pressed her lips passionately to his, growing delighted. He kind of seemed surprised as she pulled away, holding his hands. 

“I’m sorry, darling, I should have told you and I’m sorry that it makes you feel awkward but it doesn’t matter! Tell me about your trip! It has to have been amazing! And you’re so tanned and blondish! It’s really attractive on you” she gushed, pulling him to sit on the couch. 

“Uh, yea, thanks…” 

“So! How was it?” she asked, gazing at him curiously. 

His brown eyes were wide as he stared down at her, “It was…fun.” 

…What was wrong with him? “…Is something the matter?” she asked, feeling a little annoyed. 

“N-not really. Besides the whole _pregnant_ thing, you’re just acting really….” 

“Really…?” she glowered. 

“… _Cute_.” 

Her eyes narrowed and he laughed slowly, “I mean, ‘darling’? Really?” 

“...Oh. I hang around Roomi too much, I guess” she admitted with a blush, not actually realizing she had called him that. 

With a sigh, he sucked his cheek and stared at her, “…You’re going to be okay giving this baby up?” 

Rolling her eyes around, she sighed, “Yes, Kyo. I have not gotten attached to the booger at all.” 

He finally gave his trademark smirk, “Booger, huh? I guess not then.” 

She ran her fingers through his hair which was a little longer though not crazy long like his brother’s had been. She always heard women got severely uninterested in sex when pregnant and while she knew why, considering how awful it was, her hormones were shifting in the _other_ direction. 

Pursing her lips for a moment, she kissed him again, this time giving an open mouth rendition and ran had hands down his chest. Oh, he was still muscley. 

“Woah, woah” he stated, pushing away, alarmed, “Wh-what are you doing?” 

“You’ve been away for ten months!” she sulked, “I want to _f—k_.” 

“Well I did too! But you’re pregnant!” 

“Shut. Up.” 

He groaned as she kissed his neck, “R-really Gwen, come on, don’t you think I’ve wanted you too? But you seem to be really late in this thing and…and…oh, that feels so good…” 

His eyes closed as she bit and nipped at his neck gingerly, moaning. Well…it wasn’t like she wasn’t still really hot and perfect. And pregnant people had sex, right? 

Suddenly though, when he tried to push her on her back, he realized he was like a mile away from comfortably kissing her. Staring down at her, she looked surprised as well. 

Utterly and completely exasperated, he groaned and stood, wandering away, “I need a walk…” 

“Baby!” Gwen whined. 

He just shook his head. He’d been _so_ excited about coming home. He had a blast in South America but he really wanted to see his wife. And yet, he comes home and she’s pregnant. 

Angry, irritable, and absolutely jealous, he paused before exiting. He shouldn’t be though. He’d have been a heartless monster if he said ‘no’ if she had taken the time to discuss it with him. It was a decent request, a selfless deed. Course, didn’t mean he liked it. 

…Whatever. “Are you craving anything? I can pick it up on my way back.” 

Gwen bit her lip and gave him a nervous look, “I…I really crave your sundried tomato panino.” 

Smiling a little, he nodded, “All right. I’ll make some when I come back.” 

Because he needed to kick some ass first. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Inaba Joe smiled as he decided to paint the room in a faint cream tone. The babies would share a room so no pink and no blue but the cribs would designate the traditional colors. He…he couldn’t wait. 

Frowning as there was a knock at his door, he glanced back. Huh, that was weird. He felt kind of nervous suddenly. Shaking off that bizarre thought, he opened the front door and squeaked like he’d seen a ghost. 

“Hi-i-i-i there!” sang Kyo, “You’ve been busy since I went away, huh?” 

Joe internally groaned and grinned anxiously at him as Kyo smiled tightly, “I mean, you know, getting _my_ wife pregnant and all. I mean, would you be okay with it if you took off for a bit and you came back with me deciding I want Hotaru to carry my child?” 

“W-well, if it was for family--” 

“Oh, cut the bull!” Kyo snapped irritably, “Dude, if there is not a man code prohibiting you from planting your seed in my wife without running it by me first then there should be!” 

Joe whined, “I know but we were just thinking it’d be over before you got back!” 

Kyo and him stared at each other silently for a few moments before Joe cleared his throat, “Okay, that…didn’t come out right.” 

“No, no it didn’t.” 

“Look, I am _really_ grateful to Gwen for this! And-and I know, I’d be pretty pissed too if I were in your shoes but can’t you just be happy for us?” he pleaded. 

Kyo sucked his cheek, staring at him, before commenting, “So your plan really was to keep me out of the loop? I’d just think a baby magically appeared?” 

Joe groaned and Kyo smiled tightly, “I'm not going to lie: I want to kill you right now. But if you died, Hotaru would be alone with the baby. So you’ll live for now.” 

Joe smiled a little, “…Thanks?” 

Kyo leered at him but looked up when a door opened somewhere in the house. Suddenly, Hotaru appeared and smiled, “Kyo! You’re home!” 

Kyo’s eyes widened and he gaped, staring at her belly that was almost equally as round as his wife’s. Licking his lips, he held up a hand as Joe groaned. 

“Hi, Hotaru. That's all I'm going to say because I don’t even want to know, I’m…just going to leave. I’ll talk to you two later because I assume you’ll be hanging around my house since my lovely wife is having your baby which I am _ecstatic_ about since we can’t have sex or anything or even hug. And, you know, and you’re pregnant _too_ but I’m _so_ happy!”  
  


Joe just kind of gaped and Kyo skipped out. 

Oh God. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Yagami Jyun sat in his office, chewing a piece of gum, typing up schedules for the employees. Ugh, it was all this menial stuff he hated about running a business. But it was necessary, he told himself. 

Printing it and walking to post a few on the main wall, he smiled at all the young college students happy scurrying about, working on their lines freely. He felt good about what he was doing, nevertheless. 

“You son of a bitch!” 

He froze. No freakin' way. 

He yelped as he got jumped from behind, his younger brother pulling his hair, “You let my crazy wife do stuff that you _know_ I wouldn’t agree with!?” 

Jyun grunted and hit his brother in the ear, breaking his hold on his hair, and sending him toppling over so Jyun could land a punch to the gut, “You little f—ker, are you trying to kill me?!” 

Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched, agape, as the two fought and scratched and kneed. If it were a cartoon, they’d probably be surrounded in a dust cloud, rolling about. Finally, grabbing Kyo by the collar, he shoved him into his office and huffed, clenching his lower back. “You are out of your friggin’ mind!” 

Kyo glared, dropping down into the chair, grunting, “Yea, well, you’d be out for blood too if it were Roomi! Why didn’t _you_ tell me or try to _stop_ it before I was told?! You sucky ass brother! I asked you to take care of my wife and you let her go get pregnant!!” 

Jyun groaned, slamming down behind the desk, “I didn’t _agree_ with that choice, I made that opinion quite clear at the beginning. She did it before we even knew about it. Next thing we knew, she was announcing she was pregnant at a dinner. We were kept out of the loop and it was too late by then.” 

Kyo grumbled and Jyun blinked at him, “What are you doing home though, man? You have like three months left.” 

“Some virus overtook the visiting anthropologists. The hosts were concerned it was lethal so they sent us back here for analysis and whatnot. I have some latent form but they said it’s not really that harmful and that I won’t have any symptoms” he sighed miserably. 

Jyun smirked, “Well, that’s comforting. And what, trying to copy me?” 

Kyo snorted, “I honestly didn’t think I was _that_ tan until I got here. And now, looking at your hair, I’ve gone and got all blond too.” 

“I bet Gwen likes it…” he said rather suggestively. 

Kyo cocked a brow, “Que?” 

Jyun sighed, “She has dropped enough hints and innuendo for all of us to know that she wanted to jump your bone the second you got home.” 

Kyo slouched, pouting, “Me too. But you know, she’s pregnant.” 

Jyun rolled his eyes, “She’s still a human being and has needs. The baby isn’t watching you or going to grab your dick, it’s all stupid s—t. I thought Roomi was pretty damn sexy when she was pregnant with Kam.” 

“Roo was hella tiny pregnant” grunted Kyo, “I’m not really able to get a good angle with the globe in the way.” 

“Oh, there’s _always_ an angle.” 

“Spoken like a true deviant” snickered Kyo. 

“Seriously, she can lie on her back and you can--” 

Kyo waved his hands, “No, no, no, I’m not getting sex advice from you, it’s too creepy. I can make it work, I play Tetris.” 

“Oh my God, no you didn’t just compare sex to Tetris” Jyun snorted, “And I’m the deviant.” 

Kyo laughed at that and sighed airily, staring at the ceiling, sleepy, “I…I’m so jealous, Jyun.” 

“Of what?” 

“I walked into that house and saw Gwen holding her stomach, I thought I’d flip. First, that she’d _cheat_ on me? Second, she’d actually be cocky enough to get herself pregnant then keep it? Of course, those were just incorrect assumptions but it’s all the same. That…that won’t ever be mine. She won’t ever carry my baby and I…I’ll never have a child.” 

Jyun’s eyes softened, “Don’t give up hope, bro, maybe she’ll change her mind.” 

“Yea right” he muttered. 

Jyun whipped out his smartphone and texted someone before receiving a response, standing, “Come on. I’ll buy you some ice-cream and you can see your niece.” 

“Fujiwako?” 

“Kaori.” 

Kyo looked puzzled before gasping, “Oh yea, Hoshi’s baby!” 

Jyun smirked, locking the door behind him, “You forgot she was pregnant, didn’t you?” 

“A little…” 

Jyun snickered and they walked up to ‘The Village’. “You should invite Gwen. She has really missed you. The baby thing is also a result of her intense loneliness.” 

Kyo muttered lowly, though feeling a tinge of guilt, “A puppy _really_ would have done the trick.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Gwen stared at Kyo as he smeared the southwestern style paste onto the flat bread, placing the dried tomato slices between the grilled pieces before cutting it in half, mixing some salsa together and handing it to her. 

“Bon appetit’.” 

He couldn’t help smile as she looked delighted, clapping as she dragged the plate closer to her and ravenously ate it, “Oh, it’s soooo good. It’s as great as I remember it!” 

Kyo’s eyes widened as she finished it effortlessly, “Uh, you…want another one?” 

Her purple eyes brightened and he chuckled, going to work on the next one. Gwen rested her chin in her hands. “Kyo-chan, can we have sex tonight?” 

He nearly dropped his knife, either because of the sex or the ‘Kyo-chan’. Way too much time with Roomi. “Uh, I…I dunno, baby, I…I mean, aren’t you really close to labor? I might…induce it or something.” 

“I really, really, really want you though” she moped. 

Kyo found himself blushing a bit. Honestly, unless she was just really in the mood, non-pregnant Gwen was a little secretive when it came to desires. Even then it was a little smokescreen and riddles with Gwen originally about sex. She was being pretty open now though. 

“I’ll think about it, baby. I mean, I really would have a heart attack if you did go into labor because I was humping you” he slowly shook his head, fixing a few of the panini for her. 

Setting them down on the table, taking one for himself, his eyes widened as he found her leering at him, “Do you think I’m fat?” 

“Of course not!” he assured. 

“Then whyyyyyy?” she whined, just _too_ adorable. 

He groaned, dropping his hands on the table, “Let me research safe positions, okay?” 

“Okay…” 

He sighed. Poor thing just seemed miserable. Time to change the subject. “Um, I saw Kaori for the first time today! She’s so cute.” 

Gwen giggled, “She is! And did you see Kamon too?” 

“Oh _jeez_ , he’s like the creepiest thing ever.” 

“What! He’s _so_ cute!” 

Kyo snorted, “He’s _talking_. I was having a _full_ conversation with my one-year-old nephew who seemed completely coherent to everything I said. It was crazy and scary.” 

Gwen pouted, “I think he’s adorable. Just because he’s smart doesn’t make him creepy.” 

Kyo chuckled, shrugging, “I’m kidding though I did find it pretty bizarre.” 

He nipped at the sandwich and suddenly felt his heart ache. Maybe he shouldn’t have changed it to _that_ subject. 

“…Are you positive I’ll never be a father, Gwen?” he asked lowly. 

Gwen dipped her sandwich and nodded like it was simple. It irritated him greatly. Smiling tightly, he stood, “Well, I’m going to be--.” 

“I’d be a bad mama, Kyo” she said between bites, pretty much ignoring what he said, “Neither of us are patient. Can you imagine us staying up with a newborn for ten hours non-stop? We’d yell at each other, we’d get angry, we’d get ripped apart. I don’t…I don’t want that.” 

Kyo was shocked. “…Is that your reason?” 

She shrugged, “Because I was such a preppy whore I didn’t want a baby at first because it’d take away me time and also I worried what it’d do to my body. Looking at me now, I don’t think it’d take any time to whip myself into shape. So you know, for you, I _did_ think over it and I just worried. I don’t want our child’s memories to be of us arguing because we were so focused on it’s existence that we neglected ourselves.” 

Kyo felt his shoulders droop. Damn her and her feasible reasoning. Nonetheless… “But that’s an assumption. We could be okay…” 

Gwen blinked at him, “If I told you that maybe I’d think about it in the future, would it make you happy?” 

He gazed at her, truly confused. Was this just hormones or had she actually changed into this neutral kind of calm person? “I’d…I’d be fine with that, baby. Whatever you decide is fine with me.” 

She smiled brightly, standing, clutching her belly for a moment and taking his hand, “Come on!” 

He was confused though not as when she tossed him into bed and got on top of him, stripping off his shirt. He moaned as she kissed down his throat, down his chest, her tongue curling around his nipple. “Unn…” 

“You can’t touch my boobs” she suddenly informed him, “Because I might stab you if you do.” 

He laughed a bit, “Okay…” 

She started to peel off her shirt when she paused, frowning, as there was a rapid knock at the front door. “Oh, that must be Joe.” 

“Ignore him” he muttered, feeling himself get hard. 

Gwen sighed, kissing his lips, “I can’t, he’ll get worried.” 

Kyo rolled his eyes and grumbled as he followed her from the room, hoping to hurry this along. The idea of getting some was suddenly very appealing. He really hadn’t actually gotten all that aroused while he was away, actually missing just having Gwen with him at all. Now though, with her seeming uber frisky… 

Opening the door, she smiled but faltered when Joe leered at her before leering back at the shirtless Kyo. “I _knew_ it, you freak!” 

“Excuse me?” Kyo demanded. 

“No sex” he said simply. 

Gwen looked utterly stunned, “W-what!?” 

“We don’t know if something’s defective with my and Hotaru’s sperm and egg so we are not doing anything to risk the baby’s life, okay?” Joe said reasonably. 

Kyo’s jaw started to tick and Gwen looked ready to cry, “But we’ll be really, really, really careful, promise!” 

Joe looked serious, “No.” 

“So what? Are you going to get her a chastity belt?” Kyo spat, “I don’t see how you’re going to keep me from doing my own wife!” 

Gwen glowered at him and she smiled lightly, “Okay, Joe, I understand.” 

Joe scowled and grunted, nodding, before waving as he turned around, “Have a nice night.” 

Kyo reached out to strangle him and Gwen grabbed his arm, shutting the door behind Joe, turning to him. He was _irate_ . 

“ _I am going to bed_ ” he hissed out, stalking upstairs. 

Gwen waddled after him as fast as she could, “Sweetie! Just…just another month…” 

Kyo glared back at her as he sank into bed, suddenly realizing, “Oh, a bed…” 

Gwen blinked, confused, as she sank beside him, “You didn’t have a bed in South America?” 

“Nah, a mat of sorts…” he yawned, “It was okay, but this is a hundred times better. So soft...” 

Resting her head on the pillow near his, she murmured, “Tell me about it. Were the people nice to you?” 

“Mm, yea. The elders were always a little against it but I think they started to like me a bit. Oh, there was a banana-thingy tree” he said drearily, “They were _soo_ yummy. I asked if I could have some and one of the elders that was way against us being there said 'sure'. Some of my partners couldn’t handle the bananas because they were spicy and way sweet but I ate like nine of them in one sitting. The elder that was way against me being there, Mama Consuela, had just kind of stared at me, surprised, before laughing. She told me her son used to eat the banana things like that.” 

He smiled faintly, “She told me he took off to the city, never saw him again. She kind of adopted me while I was there. She called me ‘Oswego’.” 

Gwen blinked, “That’s not Spanish, is it?” 

“Mm, some of our predecessors brought them some shirts and stuff when they came and one of the shirts had said ‘Oswego’ and they seemed taken with the word” he chuckled some. “But yea, she pretty much adopted me into her family. She said I had a healthy appetite and wasn’t as haughty as the other anthropologists that kind of hated their food.” 

She came a little closer as he continued to speak, his eyes closed, “She tried to give me her daughter.” 

Gwen leered, “…Really?” 

“Of course I declined” he assured, “I told her I was married back at home and she asked if it was normal in our culture to leave our wives by themselves. I told her that it was kind of _uncommon_ but that our women had the same freedoms we did so they could live on their own.” 

Gwen frowned at that and Kyo sighed a little, closing his eyes, “It was great though. There was a beautiful sunset every day and when it rained, the sun was always shining then too. I really wanted to show it to you.” 

Snuggling against him, she sighed airily, “Maybe you can one day.” 

He went quiet and she glanced at him, “Kyo?” 

“Hmm?” 

“I’m sorry we can't have sex.” 

“…It’s okay.” 

…He guessed. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kyo meandered down the steps, sleepy and confused. Oh, he was definitely completely off schedule now but he was little puzzled to find himself alone too. 

He was a tad surprised when he walked downstairs to find Gwen doing yoga, earphones in her ears and some of the music he left her thrashing. She caught sight of him and smiled, turning her MP3 off, and pulling the headphones from her ear. She looked so glowy and beautiful pregnant, he thought absently. 

“Good morning, baby.” 

He smiled and wandered over to her, giving her a kiss on the lips. He missed waking up to her the most while he was away and was a bit disappointed she wasn’t there this morning. But this still felt great too. 

“Good morning” he returned, “What are you doing? Shouldn’t you be taking it easy?” 

Gwen shook her head, “Hotaru and I went to some courses about what’s good to do while pregnant and we found these exercises. The doctor said that it’s really working for Hotaru too. The baby is really healthy.” 

“That’s good” he smiled before yawning, “How’d that work out, by the way? You know, Hotaru being pregnant too?” 

Gwen sighed, “Oh, it’s a long, long story…” 

“Seems like everything is” he snorted, heading towards the kitchen, “Would you like some breakfast?” 

She opened her mouth but was interrupted by the doorbell. Kyo cocked a brow as she sort of pranced over to answer, “Who is that this early?” 

He was a little startled when…Kurt was on the other side? But Gwen didn’t seem shocked at all and in fact greeted him.“Good morning!” 

“ ‘Morning” he said simply before looking in, his blue eyes widening, “Woah, you’re back?” 

Kyo nodded, shaking his hand amiably, “Yea, trip got cut a bit short.” 

Gwen saw he was apparently confused that, well, the two were finally associating so she smiled, “Kurt brings me breakfast in the morning!” 

Kurt sighed some, “I noticed she’s not inclined to do so after a certain point in the day so I decided to bring by some daily.” 

She took the bag from him thankfully and Kyo was still startled. “Well, that’s nice of you. Thanks.” 

“I guess I don’t anymore though” he stroked his chin. 

Gwen giggled, actually kissing him on the cheek, “You can come over now and Kyo can fix everyone breakfast!” 

Kyo smirked at that and Kurt laughed, “We’ll see. I’ll talk to you two later.” 

Gwen waved and closed the door as he left for work. Kyo cocked a brow as she ruffled through the bag, ‘oohing’ when she found a slice of cinnamon bread and stuck it almost ravenously in her mouth. 

“So…when’d that happen?” he questioned as she went to the kitchen to grab a glass of milk. 

“Wha’?” 

“You and Kurt speaking? And now that I actually think about it, you and _Joe_ speaking?” his brows furrowed. He hadn’t actually thought about it but by the time he left, the cousins hadn’t spoken three words to each other and she ends up carrying his and his wife’s baby? 

“I really got to know everyone well” she said simply as she grabbed two plates, turning on the magical coffeemaker he didn’t remember them owning, “Keiji got this for us!” 

“I’m not surprised” he smirked, sitting as she waddled over, setting one plate before him. 

“Is decaf okay?” she asked, peering into the bag and dividing everything between them. 

Kyo smirk widened as she obviously was dividing things a little more to her favor. Not that he minded, she was always stupidly fearful she was fat when she was stick thin. Maybe she was eating for two but he was glad she was eating better regardless. 

“Well, I find it to be a waste of coffee but I’ll drink it with you.” 

Gwen pouted and started to say something but grimaced. Kyo frowned, “You okay? I was kidding.” 

“No, the baby kicks a lot” she mumbled, standing to go grab something, “I see karate in her future.” 

Kyo blinked, “'Her'?” 

“Uh huh! It’s a girl. I named her Ai” she said brightly. 

“… _You_ named her Ai?” 

Puzzled by his horrified tone, she glanced at him and realized. “Oh no! Hotaru insisted I name her! I didn’t want to but I did.” 

Kyo’s brows furrowed and he shook his head, “I have found nothing I like about this whole thing, I hope you know. Except, I guess, that you’re helping out Hotaru and, grudgingly, Joe.” 

“It wasn’t Joe’s idea, you know?” she said, sitting and placing a cup of coffee before him, “It was mine.” 

“He still needed to jack off to get the process going, didn’t he?” he snorted irritably. 

Gwen glared at him, “You’re such a jerk.” 

“I am a jerk” he mumbled, “I just think it’s messed up that _no one_ thought this would bother me.”  
  


“It sounds like you’d have said 'no'” she muttered. 

Kyo sighed miserably, “I wouldn’t have. I just would have felt a little bit better about it.” 

“I don’t know how!” 

Kyo was losing his appetite. Of course, a natural bad sign. “Well I dunno, Gwen, it seems like this was some game to pop the baby out before the stupid husband knows anything happened! Even Joe told me the intention was for it to be ‘over by the time I got back’! Thanks? I guess its better that way, huh? 'Dumb ol’ Kyo, he won’t know any better. We can pull a fast one on him real easy'!” 

“That is not it!” she said, sounding exasperated, “Honestly Kyo, I really didn’t think you’d mind! If I knew it’d trouble you this much then I would have taken the time but I didn’t want to _email_ that request to you, it’d be ridiculous!” 

Kyo just moved his food around his plate and muttered, “…Whatever. It’s done. You made your decision, it’s…it’s whatever.” 

Gwen frowned as he stood, pushing his plate closer to her, “Here, you can have it. Thanks for sharing with me.” 

He exited without much more and she noticed that he hadn’t eaten a bite of it. Damn it. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Stop being such a crybaby.” 

“I am not a crybaby!” 

Yagami Nerimaru, aka Nelly, was tossing bales of hay around as Kyo sat on the edge of a machine for converting products, looking miserable. “C’mon dad, if you were in my place, how would you feel? Even Joe said he’d be pissed!” 

Nelly sighed, stopping to wipe his brow, “I’m not going to lie to you, it wasn’t the most…considerate of actions.” 

Kyo looked grouchy and Nelly continued, “However, she’s almost done and you yelling at her isn’t going to make the whole thing disappear. At least, not in a good way. You need to stop stressing her out.” 

“I’m not stressing her out” he mumbled. 

“It sounds like you’ve been mad the second you got home!” 

Kyo swallowed, “I…I guess. But I’ve been trying to calm down, honest! I keep telling myself it doesn’t matter and that it’s good but something just gets me riled up again!” 

Nelly sighed once more, “Because it _does_ matter to you. This is something that typically a couple would discuss more. Just because you’re away doesn’t mean it’s a free for all. And a marriage shouldn’t have any dishonesty.” 

He shoveled some hay into the baler, “Trust me, I know.” 

Kyo grimaced and glanced sheepishly at his father, “How’s the divorce preceding going?” 

“It’s going” he answered simply. 

“You haven’t had to see mother, have you?” 

Nelly shook his head absently and Kyo breathed a sigh of relief at that. 

“It’s like I tell Jyun and Hoshiko, Kyo” Nelly said, going over to milk his cows, “You can’t keep things from each other if you expect a marriage to work. And tell Gwen that. She’ll probably go off on a tangent because it’ll sound like you’re trying to control her but I doubt she’d be pleased if something similar happened on your side.” 

“Like what? Someone liked how I looked and wanted my jizz?” he snorted. 

“I guess It'd be like you giving a sterile couple sperm or something while you were in South America. I mean, maybe she would agree and back you a hundred percent but that's not really something you should do without speaking to her. It's something intimate, having children. 'Course, that seems super unlikely and would be a tad disturbing” Nelly remarked, stroking his chin when he ungloved his hand. 

Kyo snickered but sighed, “I should be happy for them, right? Hotaru’s been crushed over and over by this.” 

“Of course” Nelly assured, “This is a blessed sort of thing, you know? But this set of circumstances, it kind of bitters up the sweetness for you.” 

Dropping his chin into his palms as he watched his dad work, he supposed that summed up his life pretty well at the moment. 

Jeez. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Ooh, I’ll kick his ass.” 

Roomi gave Gwen tea, irritable, “Jyun, can’t you tell your brother that he needs to get his head out of his ass?” 

Jyun was drinking a glass of orange juice, Kamon in his arms enjoying the same beverage in a sippy cup, shrugging, “It’s a man thing.” 

“A _man_ thing?” 

“Apparently. All you chicks don’t seem to see why we’d be bothered by this kind of thing” Jyun snorted, grabbing his paper. 

Gwen scowled. She hadn’t felt feminist riled in a while, but… “So what? Because he can’t control what I did while he was away he’s mad?” 

Jyun rolled his eyes, “Gwen, let’s say that some woman decided that they wanted Kyo’s baby but really ultimately nothing to do with Kyo himself for some reason, like say, he looks like her dead husband. She doesn’t want anything to do with Kyo except get his genes so she can have a child that looks like the spouse she lost. It’s a little bizarre but it’s not exactly a bad thing. But say Kyo can’t get in contact with you though and time is of the essence. So he decides to do it anyway because he thinks you’ll be down with it. Would you be okay with it though?” 

“Of course not! That’s crazy!” 

“Maybe Kyo feels the same then” Jyun shrugged. 

Gwen opened her mouth to refute this but faltered. Roomi leered at her husband, “So what you’re saying is that it’s the same for Kyo to go knock up some random woman as it is for Gwen to be a _surrogate_ for her family?” 

“Slightly. What if Kyo just donated to a sperm bank without discussing it with you might be more appropriate” Jyun shrugged. 

Roomi looked ready to retort this before actually faltering herself, looking appalled, “Oh my God, you never did that, did you?” 

“Of course not!” Jyun blurted, looking irritated. 

“What’s wrong with a sperm bank?” Gwen demanded. 

Roomi grunted, “Something about my man’s stuff wandering around so a bunch of random women are having his baby irks me.” 

Gwen threw her hands up, “I don’t get it! People that can’t have children can’t so why is it so bad to help them!” 

“It’s not bad” Jyun insisted gently, “It’s just that when you’re married Gwen, you’re not just yourself anymore. There’s another person there that is affected by your choices. You wouldn’t take a job in another country without telling Kyo, would you? Or change schools? Or buy a house?” 

Gwen hesitated, “W-well…” 

“You’d flip out if Kyo did those things right? If he just decided to go to South America without telling you, you’d kill him. It is your body, your right what to do with it, but at the very least _tell_ the man you love.” 

She bit her lip and Roomi sighed airily, “I suppose I grudgingly will have to agree with my husband. Of course I was worried about what Kyo would think when you did this but you seemed convinced he’d be okay. But of course I forgot you did kind of try to do this underhandedly. Honesty is always best in a marriage, dear.” 

Staring at her knees, she mumbled, “He would have said no.” 

“No he wouldn’t have” Jyun snorted, “Kyo’d hate it but if he saw you were willing, he’d give his blessing. Just like you did with the South America thing.” 

This definitely gave her pause. 

…Oh, she hadn’t wanted him to go. Not one bit. But it was a big decision, one they discussed together, fought over, got angry over, resolved. And she kind of just decided this on her own, didn’t she? She went on assumptions, jumped the gun, did kind of decide that she’d leave her husband out of the loop. 

Biting her lip, she stood and rasped, “Where do you think he’d run off to?” 

“We usually run to dad” Jyun answered rather simply. 

“Poor Nelly-papa” Roomi smiled. 

Gwen nodded, bidding them farewell, and wandered over towards the farm, feeling nauseous. Ugh, she hated saying she was wrong. 

Blinking when she arrived, she sighed and found him underneath the apple tree, napping. Waddling towards him, she groaned as she sank down on her knees, rubbing her belly. 

“Kyo?” 

His eyes fluttered open briefly and he stared at her sleepily, “Oh, hey.” 

“I…” 

She took a deep breath and rasped out, “I was wrong, I shouldn’t have done this without discussing it with you at least once. I’m sorry.” 

Opening his chocolate eyes, he gazed at her, “I just felt left out, Gwen. I mean, duh, I was thousands of miles away, of course I’ll be left out. But for you to leave me out of something this important, not even consulting me within whatever means we had? It hurts. Even if you had just _emailed_ me informing you were thinking about it, it would have been a lot less of a shock. I know, it’s something big enough that you’d want to discuss it formally. I can understand that but you’re my wife. I want us to be able to be open with each other. Discussing it _somehow_ is better than not at all.” 

Gwen bit her lip and nodded, “I…I understand.” 

He smiled softly and sat up, yawning, pulling her into his arms, stroking her belly almost absently, “I wish it was mine but...” 

Gwen snuggled into his side and murmured, “I know.” 

They were quiet as she gazed out at the grasslands and murmured to him, “I’m glad you’re home.” 

“Me too.” 

And he felt it for the first time. 


	19. Lesson Nineteen

“Hey sexy! This is a surprise!” 

Yagami Kyo laughed as Shelly and Rachel glomped him, “Definitely! What are you guys doing here?” 

“Here to see our crazy pregnant buddy” Rachel remarked, cocking a brow, “Does she look funny?” 

Gwen, his darling pregnant wife, mock-glared as she wobbled out of the kitchen, “Whaddya mean, funny?” 

“Ah!! You do!” they squealed in delighted horror, rushing to her. 

Kyo laughed, cocking a brow, as they groped her stomach. Gwen pouted, “Hey, I’m not a piece of meat!” 

“Ah! But you’re so cute!” 

Kyo chuckled, grasping Gwen’s hand, “Stop poking my wife, she’s tender.” 

Seating them on the couch, pulling Gwen into his lap, he wrapped his arms somewhat around her thighs. Gwen frowned. She noticed he’d only kind of rubbed the baby once but otherwise just pretended it wasn’t there. May have been easier that way. 

“No Michelle or Marissa?” Kyo questioned. 

“They’ll be here later, later flights” Shelly waved a hand, eyeballing Gwen, “I have to say, honey, you’re not all that gigantic. Are you eating enough?” 

“Are you kidding? She’s eating more than I can now” Kyo snorted. 

Gwen pouted, elbowing him, and Rachel laughed, “That’s a good sign. How are you doing? Are you positively miserable yet?” 

“No, I’m fine” blinked Gwen. 

Shelly snickered, “Michelle got _so_ angry the last few weeks of her pregnancy. She annoyed the breathing hell out of us. I swear Roy wanted to cry.” 

“I just miss sex” Gwen sighed miserably. 

Kyo smirked and Shelly glared, “What? You better be putting out, Kyo!” 

“The father disapproves and is one step from putting a camera in the house” Kyo sighed. 

Of course Gwen had said she _agreed_ with Joe's demandsbut recently she must have had a moment. He’d just been minding his own innocent business, wandering out of the shower, realizing he had kind of missed having water just automatically ready to bathe in, when Gwen meandered in and oh, went down on him. He liked it. A lot. 

Naturally, being the kind hearted soul he was, he couldn’t let Gwen go without repayment. Without getting into any sordid details, they may very well have been the most interrupted couple on earth for Joe showed up, found them doing the deed, and yelled bloody murder. Oh, how he longed to stab that man… 

Rachel cocked a brow, “But a lot of women have sex while pregnant, right? What’s the big deal?” 

Kyo shrugged and Gwen looked sad, “I want a glass of milk.” 

The girl’s brows kind of furrowed and Kyo laughed a bit, his furrowing as well as he set her on the couch, “Don’t cry, sweetie, I _can_ get you a glass of milk, at least.” 

“Can you put a little chocolate in?” she said hopefully. 

“Of course” he assured, kissing her lips. 

Shelly smirked, “Is that you trying to be cute and getting Kyo to do your bidding?” 

“No, but there might not be any milk left and then I’d be sad.” 

Shelly’s eyes just kind of widened and Kyo chuckled as he walked back in, giving her the glass, earning him a contented squeal, “She’s extremely hormonal.” 

“I can tell” laughed Rachel. 

He gave them all beverages as well before sitting, rubbing his forehead, “So how’s, uh, Kano and Lane?” 

This earned him a glare from Gwen. Shelly rolled her eyes around, “Oh, my mother tells me often how Kano says she doesn’t _have_ a daughter, at least, besides Sara. Lane’s good though.” 

Kyo sighed miserably. Since Hawaii. That was over a year ago. A year without speaking to her daughter because she decided to stay with her husband whom Kano disagreed with because he was Asian? Really? It irked the hell out of him. 

But then, he hadn’t spoken to his mother in over a year either. 

He hated seeing her. He saw her at that stupid thing, he saw her, shockingly, when Jyun got sick. But each time, she never said a word to him. Whatever. Kano had a stupid reason. He had a good one. But still, it got a little weird sometimes remembering he didn’t have that same woman that raised him anymore. The woman that baked for them, fed them, loved them. 

He looked for whispers of her in places. The bakery being one, that inexplicable place that reminded him of Elli. Or the hospital where he would run around while she’d check in on people. 

…His siblings didn’t do that. Just him. 

“Baby?” 

He jumped a little, surprised, as Gwen was starting to stand, “We’re going to go for a walk. Do you want to come with us?” 

Kyo frowned, shaking his head, “Unless you want me to…” 

“We’re big girls, we can take care of ourselves” grinned Shelly, “C’mon, preggos.” 

The three left, chattering, and he smiled some. He frowned as the doorbell rang and stood, quickly answering. 

“Here’s your eggs, punk” Nelly informed, handing him a basket. 

“Sweetttt” he sang, going to put the fresh eggs away, “Want a drink?” 

Nelly sighed, closing the door behind him, “If you don’t mind. Running me like this. I’m an old man, damn it.” 

“You are not” scoffed Kyo, digging through the fridge. 

Nelly snorted, dropping onto the couch, “I think I saw your wife with two other women wandering around.” 

“Those are her California buddies. They came to visit her” Kyo replied, giving Nelly an ice cold beer. 

Nelly nodded his ‘thanks’ as Kyo sat, turning on the television, “So how’s it like being single again? Chicks knocking down your door?” 

Nelly scowled, “Don’t be an idiot. I’m not interested in resuming my manwhore lifestyle after being married thirty years and I sure as hell don’t want to start _another_ relationship.” 

Kyo sulked, “So you’d rather be alone?” 

“Sounds about right.” 

“That’s so sad, daddy…” 

His father leered at him and Kyo sighed, “Well, you’re a hundred years old, you know what’s best for you.” 

“Thanks” he snickered. 

Kyo frowned when he paused on a news program. It caught his attention weirdly enough. 

“Mayor’s Son Marries”. 

His jaw nearly dropped when his mother appeared on the screen. More than a little alarmed, he watched as an interviewer smiled at Elli and that bastard she cheated with. 

The interviewer chimed happily, “And Yamachi-san, how does your family feel about this marriage? I’m sure they’re ecstatic.” 

… 

“…I, uh, don’t really have any family actually” Elli forced a smile. 

Kyo’s brows creased. What was that supposed to mean? They had no opinion on the matter or did she not care? 

“Really? No grandmother? No excited parents? Children?” the person teased as if it were impossible for her to have children. 

“No, my grandmothers and mother are all deceased” Elli said with a small smile, “And…I have no kids.” 

…What the fuck? 

Staring at the appearance of his mother as Gill took over from there, his heart threatened to choke him. What? What did she mean ‘I have no kids’? What was Jyun? What was Hoshiko? 

…What…what was he?   
  


Gaping, the blood seeped from his skin. Just like that? 

It was so bizarre. That woman cried oceans over Jyun refusing to get married for a majority of his life. But he invited her to his wedding and she…she refused. She refused something that had seemed to matter to her so much. Same with Hoshiko. No one thought she’d get married but she didn’t show at that wedding either. 

She didn’t try to call them ever. Ever. The only idea he got that she cared at all was…was when Jyun had shown up and no one had informed her he’d returned. But him? Hoshiko? Didn’t…didn’t divorced parents still care about their children? 

…She had no kids? What the hell was this?! He was her kid! Unless he was adopted, that was his mother! Why was she saying this? He didn’t exist anymore to her, was that it?! 

He yelped when Nelly suddenly wrenched the remote from his hands, turning the entire television off and throwing the device on the table. Nelly grabbed Kyo’s shoulders and hissed albeit shakily, “Snap out of it.” 

“I-I was hallucinating, right?” he laughed airily, feeling his eyes burn, “I-I didn’t hear that, right?” 

“Kyo--” 

“I mean, my mother didn’t just deny my existence, right?!” he exclaimed, his voice breaking, “That wasn’t _my_ mother, was it?” 

Nelly gaped kind of wordlessly and Kyo trembled, “You…you won’t lie to me too, will you…?” 

Giving a full body wince, the man shook as he slowly hugged him, “Of course…of course not. I…you’re right…I…I don’t know who that woman is. I guess…I never did.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Michelle, Rachel, Marissa, Shelly, and herself laughed as they wandered back towards the home, having just spent a few hours wandering around. It felt like old times for a second and that was good too. 

“So Kyo’s back, dear?” Michelle questioned. 

Gwen nodded, fishing in her pockets for her keys, “It’s dark. He might have gone out.” 

Opening the door to her house, she was a little taken back when she found Nelly asleep on the couch instead, his head slung back. Looking around, not wanting to wake him, she was bewildered to find that Kyo’s shoes weren’t there. He just left his dad there? 

“Uh, babe?” Shelly said slowly. 

Gwen glanced at them and they all looked confused. Oh yea. “This is Kyo’s dad.” 

Nelly groaned and rubbed his brow as his eyes slowly opened before they could react to this. He stared sleepily at Gwen for a moment before frowning. “Oh, hey.” 

“Hi. Where’s Kyo?” she questioned. 

Nelly’s eyes closed tightly briefly before glaring about, “Did that brat leave me here? Ugh.” 

Gwen frowned and Nelly smiled at her friends, regarding them with a nod before waving her towards him as he started towards the back door. She advised her friends to sit before waddling after him. 

“Look, uh, Kyo’s really upset right now. His…mother did something pretty downright 

sh—ty today on national television. Just try to be a little comforting to him, okay?” 

Gwen frowned, grabbing his arm, “What did she do?” 

“Just kind of said she didn’t have any children and she’s marrying that asshole” he said in a hissed whisper. 

Gwen gaped, “Doesn’t have any children?!” 

Nelly nodded miserably and Gwen bit her lip, “O-okay. Are…are you alright?” 

“…No, but I guess I have to be” he murmured in a defeated tone. 

“For what it’s worth” she said shyly, “I can’t believe she’s denying them. I’m…I’m glad for your children, as are Roomi and Julius, I bet. I can’t believe any mother that would do that but my mother’s doing the same thing, so…” 

She frowned and gasped a little when Nelly petted her hair, giving her a soft look, “…Don’t fret over anyone that can deny their child, Gwen. Tell that to Kyo too.” 

He kissed her forehead like a doting parent and smiled vaguely back at her as he headed for the door, “Take it easy. You’re still pregnant.” 

She bit her lip and nodded. With a heavy sigh, she wandered back into the living room 

Shelly was running her fingers through her hair before cocking a brow at her. “Babes, did you marry into like a family of excessively hot people? I know we don’t age much anymore but damn, he’s too hot to be a daddy.” 

Gwen laughed softly, sitting between her and Marissa, “Yea, they’re all like that. They’re pretty healthy and work out often.” 

Rachel grinned lazily, “They have any cousins? Marissa needs a man.” 

Marissa pouted and Gwen smiled coyly at her, “Don’t tell me you’re still playing the single card, Mari-bell.” 

“I don’t really _have_ to be dating anyone” she stuck out her tongue. 

“Of course not” Shelly waved a hand, “But you haven’t dated since asshole Ryan.” 

This actually rather alarmed Gwen and Marissa scowled, “I have so! Just…just not a lot. Maybe that one guy.” 

“One guy!?” gasped Gwen, feeling a tsunami of guilt. 

Marissa groaned, “Gwen, it’s not a big deal. I’m just a little more…cautious when dating.” 

“Of course, darling, but don’t cautious yourself into being alone if you don’t want to be” Michelle advised, holding her almost one-year-old daughter. 

“I know” she sighed, “But enough about me. Michelle, you didn’t bring Roy?” 

She rolled her eyes, “Roy needed some guy time, I think. He’s kind of obsessive lately.” 

Gwen glanced at the door. Speaking of husbands…she frowned at her phone, considering texting him. She wasn’t being cold or apathetic. She knew her husband and sometimes he really just needed his space. If he were the clingy type, she’d be right on it but… 

She’d check on him later, she told herself. He probably was with his siblings right now/ They knew what they were going through. And, to an extent, so did she. Gwen was apparently ‘disowned’ by, at least, her mother. Her father at least acknowledged her existence and paid her tuition right on time. He called her from time to time too. She’d been a bit worried when the calls became less frequent. 

“ _Of course I’ll call you more if you want me too, princess” he assured with a haughty laugh, “But you’re a big married girl now. I didn’t think you wanted daddy bothering you a lot.”_

…Gwen realized in Hawaii that her father had honestly been the more dependable of her two parents. She’d started to disregard him because of Tomei-sensei’s lessons but she told him he could call whenever he had the time. She didn’t see anything wrong with that. Talking more with Woody, she didn’t want to be anything like her stupid mother and hating her father for reasons that were just ridiculous. There were horrid fathers that raped or abused their children, fathers that didn’t feed their children, father’s that walked out on their children forever. And yet her mother could not talk to her father ever again because the man made her ‘clean’ like she couldn't talk to her father again because he was a man. 

Ugh, at least _she_ got her priorities straight. 

Glancing at her phone as her friends chattered, she sighed. She just wished everyone could do the same. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Click. 

Gwen jumped up, alarmed, looking around the dark room. Eyes meeting the door, she locked stares with Kyo whose eyes were wide. “Whoa. Hi, baby. Trigger sleeper there, huh?” 

Rubbing her eyes, she glanced at the clock and scowled. 4 a.m. “Where have you been?” 

“With Jyun and Hoshiko” he said simply, his voice scratchy, “We were at the bar.” 

She frowned as he stripped off his shirt, heading for the bathroom but not before saying softly, “Go back to sleep, baby. I didn’t mean to wake you.” 

Gwen’s frown deepened as he disappeared into the room, turning on the shower. Lying back down on her side, she rubbed her belly and clenched her eyes shut. She didn’t honestly remember going to bed but she did remember Joe coming by so he might have carried her up when she fell asleep on the couch. Oh wait, her friends. 

Grimacing, she stood and swayed to the guest room and was relieved to find the foursome sleeping comfortably. Closing the door, she returned to her bedroom and slammed down on the bed, sitting up. She tried to wait up for Kyo, she remembered now, and Joe came and implored her to go to bed. Sighing, she blinked when he wandered out, towel drying his hair. He cocked a brow at her and groaned. 

“Gwen, really. I would have stayed at Jyun’s house if I knew I was going to wake you.” 

Gwen frowned, grabbing his hand as he approached, “I never want you to feel like you can’t come home.” 

He gave her a faint smile and kissed her softly, “I love you.” 

She leaned back as he crawled across the bed to his side, lifting the covers so he could slide under them. Gwen did the same and turned to face him. He looked okay. 

“I love you too” she blurted as something of an afterthought, “So-so you should tell me if you’re troubled.” 

“I’m not” he assured rather calmly, stroking her cheek tenderly before giving a minor shrug, “I…I can’t be. My mother made her choice and I…I have no choice but to live with it.” 

Gwen curled against his chest despite the beach ball that was her stomach, “I know you better than that, Kyo. You’re upset about it. But it’s okay, our mothers just don’t know how awesome we are.” 

He laughed softly, wrapping his strong arms around her, “Exactly…” 

She dozed off and he stared at her for a long time. She was right. His brother had concocted some weird plan to crash her wedding and his sister just seemed resigned about it. His father hid the pain more than any of them ever could. His Uncle Koji promised to talk to the man. 

Him? He didn’t know. There was no way he’d ever really get over such a thing. His mother. She’d been the only woman in his life, at one point, that he’d die for, that he’d try to do anything she’d ask, no matter how impossible. She was someone he assumed he couldn’t live without. Funny how that worked out. 

He glanced back at Gwen when she made a contented sigh sound, snuggling closer to him. He smiled gently, kissing her forehead. He guessed his mother hadn’t completely let him down. She kind of gave him the opportunity to be with this woman. It may have taken a lot of years to get there but Gwen was his everything. 

…He had to live for her. Otherwise, this thing with his mother may have killed him. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _I love you too.”_

Never seemed to get any less embarrassing. Or maybe embarrassing was the wrong word. 

Yagami Gwen smiled sheepishly. Maybe ‘amazing’ was okay. 

Glancing beside her, she frowned when she found Kyo had actually already gotten up, having only six hours of sleep. Then again, he seemed to survive off that in general. Shrugging, she grimaced as she forced herself up, the baby kind of hindering that effort. Sheesh. 

Wandering into the bathroom, taking a quick shower, she meandered down the steps, breathing in the scent of eggs and bacon. 

She blinked, startled, when extremely zealous giggles echoed through the room. Glancing at the couch, she smiled. Kyo was holding Angelina, playing peek-a-boo and pretending she was a plane. She seemed delighted. The girls were eating breakfast at the coffee table, laughing and chattering happily. 

“Sheesh Kyo, do you just let lazy bones sleep in _all_ the time?” teased Marissa 

Gwen stuck out her tongue and Kyo laughed, settling Angelina in his lap and leaning forward to grab her bottle, “She’s usually up before me doing yoga anyway, she’s crazy.” 

Angelina contently allowed him to feed her the juice and Michelle glowered, “You silly twit, you’re _really_ not going to have his baby?” 

“Aww, I know! Kyo’d make a good daddy” Shelly remarked, sipping her coffee. 

Gwen grunted, slamming down beside him as Kyo grinned lazily, “I dunno, the pregnant part might be too awkward. She’s pretty much molesting me in my sleep now.” 

“That’s called ‘incentive’, dear” Rachel pointed out reasonably. 

He laughed and Gwen stuck out her tongue petulantly, “I told Kyo I’d think about it.” 

“Well, that’s a little better” Marissa allowed with a grin, drinking tea, “You probably want to get this one out of you before you think about all that though.” 

Gwen groaned, “Definitely.” 

“You’re handling it a lot better than crazy lady here” Shelly snorted, glancing at Michelle, “I was starting to fear for Roy’s life.” 

“I wasn’t _that_ bad” Michelle pouted. 

“Yea, you just threatened to kill him for accidentally bringing you orange juice with a _hint_ of pineapple juice. It wasn’t even advertised it had pineapple juice” Rachel sighed. 

Michelle looked disgruntled and Gwen blinked in a rather ditzy manner, “I would have asked him to get the right one but drank that too.” 

Shelly laughed, “You’re just a very hungry pregnant lady, Gwen.” 

Kyo laughed as well, kissing her temple, “Yea, I guess it wouldn’t be so bad but it’s up to her. I’d just put the little critter in there.” 

Gwen pouted at him, “You’d wake up with it.” 

“No, believe me, you both would” snorted Michelle. 

Kyo grinned, picking up Angelina and nuzzling her nose, “Aww, that’s not true. You’re a good girl, aren’t you, baby?” 

She giggled, ecstatic, grabbing Kyo’s lips. Michelle snorted again, “Uh huh.” 

They laughed and Gwen rubbed her husband’s hand as they all talked about things in California and questioned him about South America. He seemed okay. 

She could only hope. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Ahh! I missed this!” 

Gwen smirked at her husband as they sat at dinner night, the living room a little more crowded than usual as her friends had come as well. After a fun week and a half visit, they’d be leaving tomorrow and Kyo insisted they come to the traditional family dinner night. He was eating some cookies and gave his aunt a loud kiss on the cheek. 

“I missed your cookies, Auntie Po!” 

“Oi, kid” grunted Koji, playfully shaking his fist. 

Popuri giggled and kissed Kyo’s cheek as well, “It’s good to have you back, dear. Dinners haven’t been the same.” 

“Yea, we have an inexplicable amount of leftovers” Jyun snickered. 

“Psh, eff that.” 

Hoshiko laughed as Jyun shook his head, “Good ol’ Kyo.” 

Shelly, sitting on the couch beside Gwen as Hotaru told her something, cocked a brow as she ate a piece of cheese, “Can I comment on how ridiculously hot everyone is or is everyone fluent?” 

Kyo grinned with a laugh, “Actually, I think everyone here is bilingual.” 

“Darn” Shelly remarked, rather unabashed. 

He laughed again, “Oh Shell, if we were Mormon, I’d marry you too.” 

Gwen smirked at him and Michelle laughed, “I think you two would end up getting kicked out of the community rather quickly.” 

Shelly snickered, “In a heart beat.” 

Kyo ‘mm’d’, “Oh yea, guys, the random blondes are Gwen’s peeps from Cali.” 

“Random blondes?” Marissa said in a mock-offended tone as she was a brunette. 

“And Mari-bell” he winked at her. 

Hoshiko laughed, “Hi, I’m Hoshiko.” 

“This is my baby sister” Kyo introduced further. 

She kicked his thigh, “I am your _only_ sister, I don’t think the ‘baby’ has to be tacked on.” 

“Hey, I don’t know who got the signals crossed, woman, but you’re MY _baby_ sister.” 

Jyun grinned at the petulant look she had, poking her cheek, “And look at her get all disgruntled. She thinks because she’s married and has a kid she’s all grown up.” 

“Seriously” Kyo snorted. 

“I hate both of you” she leered. 

Rachel chuckled, cocking a brow, “It’s okay, I have three older brothers too, it never lets up.” 

“I think I would have stabbed myself if I had one more of them” Hoshiko said with a smirk, punching Jyun’s arm playfully as he continued to poke her. 

Their Aunt Jill happened to be walking through, carrying some plates, “Yeaaa, try having _five_.” 

“Oh God” groaned Hoshiko and Rachel. 

Kyo snickered and Gwen grimaced, rubbing her stomach. Hotaru looked alarmed, “Are you okay?” 

“I don’t know, I think she’s bored” grumbled Gwen, actually jabbing her belly a bit. 

Hotaru cooed, rubbing the extended flesh, “Soon.” 

This always seemed really bizarre to Kyo as he observed it, almost disturbed. That was Hotaru and Joe’s baby inside of _his_ wife. And Gwen even was capable of separating herself as the mother of that child. That just seemed so _odd._ But he guessed people had been doing it for centuries so whatever. 

Marissa, going into psychologist mode, crossed her arms, “May I ask you something?” 

Hotaru blinked, “Of course.” 

“Do you and your husband have sex? You know, since you’re pregnant?” 

“ _Marissa_!” 

Hotaru blushed, “Not _really_.” 

Kyo had been a tad startled when Marissa asked this and, well, not Shelly, but that got his attention fast, “What do you mean ‘not _really_ ’?” 

“Well, there’s…petting.” 

Kyo was utterly and absolutely appalled. Gwen looked extremely disgruntled, “Then why the hell won’t Joe let _us_ do anything?! I’ll kill him!” 

Hotaru flustered, “He…he said you couldn’t?” 

“He comes by and makes sure we’re not almost every hour!” Kyo growled, “And he seems especially suspicious when we’re quiet!” 

“I guess you need to rock that like we did back in the day, punk” snorted Jyun, “Crank the music.” 

Carrie Inaba walked in and the girls were shocked again, Kurt by her side, as she cocked a brow, “What?” 

Kyo glared, “We can’t have sex but apparently _Joe_ is still getting _something_!” 

Kurt cringed, “Dear God, don’t talk about my brother having sex, jeez!” 

Carrie laughed and slammed down on Jyun’s knee, Kyo having to snicker, “My bad, I know how traumatizing that is.” 

Roomi wandered in next, taking her husband’s other knee, glaring at him, “I heard that ‘music’ comment. I thought you never did things with girls in your parent’s house?” 

Jyun rolled his eyes around, “Uh, yea, I might have…misstated that. I never thought about messing around in my parent’s house _after_ I was eighteen.” 

Roomi punched his shoulder and Carrie laughed, “Sheesh Roomi, Jyun was the King of Whores, that idea’s near impossible.” 

She pouted and Kyo snickered, “Honestly, I don’t think we ever fooled anybody either.” 

“No” Hoshiko said plainly. 

Kyo laughed and tossed a chip into his mouth, sitting on the edge of the chair, “What was that really weird one you liked to mess around to?” 

“I remember f—king a lot to March of the Pigs” Jyun mused. 

Carrie laughed, cocking a brow, as Kurt’s brows furrowed, “That must have been really romantic.” 

“ _What_? That Nine Inch Nail's song with all that noise and random drums?! You were doing stuff when you were thrashing that?!” Hoshiko demanded incredulously. 

“Exactly! See? No one suspected a thing” Jyun said triumphantly. 

Kyo snickered, “Nine Inch Nails weren’t exactly notorious for their romance…” 

“Whatever! Kurt and I f—k all the time to Closer” Carrie remarked. 

Kurt flustered and sent her a look, Roomi laughing a bit, “That’s definitely a fun one. And Darling Nikki and Sex on Fire.” 

“I never saw the need to turn my sex into a musical” snickered Kyo before ‘ohing!’, slamming his fist into his palm, “Except that time with Hot for Teacher!” 

They laughed and Gwen rolled her eyes around, “I didn’t really quite get the mood on that one…” 

“Oh, homework never did quite look like this.” 

Jyun’s brows creased as he laughed, Shelly snickering, “You’re so weird, Kyo.” 

Kyo smiled and glanced at his wife. She still looked rather angry. And he really, really couldn’t blame her but there was no reason to put too much energy into it. He rubbed her shoulder as the rest of his cousins arrived. And… 

“ _Ahhh_!!” Rachel suddenly freaked. 

Kyo and Gwen cocked a brow before he glanced over his shoulder, “Oh hey, man! You’re back.” 

One very MIA Izumi Takeru wandered in, his hair black at the moment, his eyebrow, lip, and nose pierced as he grinned, “Yep.” 

Yukina Steiner cocked a brow and picked up his cell phone, wandering away without much more, Kaede glancing after him. Carrie squealed, standing and giving him a huge hug, kissing the corner of his lips, “Ah itoto, the Sweden show was awesome!” 

He laughed some, hugging her back, “Thanks. I’m exhausted though.” 

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, glancing around, seeming a bit perplexed, “Though it looks like the family’s expanded magically?” 

Kyo snickered, “These are some of my wife’s friends, dork.” 

“Why is your family like gods?” demanded Shelly seriously. 

Takeru laughed and Keiji smirked, taking Steiner's seat, “It’s more like Aunt Jill’s kids. The rest of us are failures in comparison.” 

“Ah! Mommy!” Takeru suddenly called excitedly as if he suddenly recalled her existence. 

“Rock stars don’t do that, honey” Carrie said simply. 

Kurt laughed and Takeru stuck out his tongue, “I _love_ my mommy.” 

“I love you” sobbed Rachel. 

Gwen smirked, “Rachel.” 

Takeru winked at her and she squealed, delighted. Jill peeked out and squealed as well, “Ah! My baby! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home?!” 

Takeru sighed, resting his ear on top of her head as she hugged him, “It was pretty impromptu, I’m just not feeling so hot. I decided that I wouldn’t stay and do any encore concerts. Besides, she wanted to come back.” 

Jill cooed, resting her hand against his forehead. Cliff walked in, startled, with Tsumaru, his grandson and Jilliana’s son, in his arms, “Takeru?” 

“Hey dad” he greeted. 

Inaba Emma was at her grandfather’s feet, giggling, “Uncle!” 

Takeru grunted, catching her up in his arms, “Sparkle plum!” 

Kissing her cheeks lovingly, he sat down on a chair that was brought out for him, setting Emma in his lap. Jyun smirked, “Well, this is exciting.” 

“Yea. But seems your husband still hates me, apparently” Takeru remarked slowly, glancing at Kaede worriedly. 

Kaede rolled her eyes, “Don’t worry about him.” 

“Oh yea, not that I don’t trust you guys but you can’t let this out. Y’know, it’s secret that they’re related” Kyo informed the California foursome. 

“I was wondering what the deal with that was” Michelle blinked. 

Rachel just looked like she could faint and Shelly shook her head, still amazed, “I don’t even know what Kano’s talking about now. There’s too much awesome going on here.” 

Kyo snickered and Gwen smirked, “Yea.” 

Takeru rubbed his throat, groaning. Emma looked up at him, “Are you okay, Uncle Takeru?” 

“Peachy, Sparkle plum” he cooed, kissing her temple, though his voice crackled. 

Jill returned with some tea and he smiled at her, “Thanks, mama.” 

Cliff was just staring at him, “And…are you still blond?” 

Carrie laughed and Takeru grinned, “Yes, dad. This is vegetable dye so I can wash it out whenever I want…” 

Emma grabbed his nose ring, “Did this hurt?” 

“I’m more curious about the lip and eyebrow one myself” Jyun cocked a brow. 

Keiji grimaced, “Yea, I couldn’t see getting anything like that done.” 

“Oh, they all hurt. The nose piercing, they put like a needle the size of my middle finger in” he groaned. 

“You’re nuts” Carrie remarked with a smirk. 

“Hey, hey, you have like five tattoos” he retorted with a cocky grin, “And that hurt like a mother too.” 

Carrie gasped, “Oh yea! I saw a glimpse at the concert! Lemme see!” 

“Maybe later. Naturally it’d require me to strip and she seems worked up as it is” he laughed, glancing at Rachel who was almost crying. 

“Aww, she’ll be fine” Carrie laughed, wandering over and pushing him forward, peeling up the back of his shirt. 

She gawked, “Holy crap! That’s nuts!” 

Kurt leaned over and his eyes widened, “Yea, okay, I would have _cried_ , I’m not going to lie.” 

It was a beautifully elaborate almost tribal design, like a tree made out of words. Actually, the words were names, it seemed. Carrie cooed, hugging his neck, “Aww, baby, you got my name tattooed on you forever!” 

“Well, there’s always lasers to cancel 'forever'” he teased. 

The door opened and Jilliana walked in, looking weary, before it turned into shock, “Itoto?” 

“Hey Jilli!” 

The surgeon skipped over to him, kissing his cheek, “Darling, you look positively exhausted! You need to sleep!” 

He laughed, “Way to walk in here and immediately act like a doctor, sis.” 

“Look Jilliana, your name's on here too” Carrie said, pointing it out. 

“Eh?” 

Emma climbed onto his shoulder, “Is my name there too, Uncle?!” 

“Of course! It’s somewhere…” 

Jyun blinked, “So you got everyone’s name tattooed on your back?” 

“Well, I hope it’s a little more subtle than _that…_ ” 

Suddenly he grimaced and held his head, “Oh God.” 

Jilliana, Jill, and Carrie started to fret and Kyo smiled some, cocking a brow, “Is it better to have sisters rather than a load of brothers?” 

“No” Gwen said simply. 

They laughed and Hotaru giggled, “I didn’t really mind my sister.” 

“Yea, but Nara definitely seemed to mind you” joked Hoshiko. 

The pink haired woman sighed, “True enough.” 

It became really celebratory. That Saturday, they’d been pretty angry and stuff about what happened with their mom. Jyun had crashed the wedding with Kamon but came back seeming even emptier. Their Uncle decided to have an impromptu cookout to cheer them up and really, it seemed like Jyun had had some inner reflection and he was happy again. 

Him? He just decided he’d live for the people that he actually had here, he thought, smiling at Gwen as she laughed, her, Shelly, Carrie, Rachel, and Takeru discussing something. 

The door opened as they ate, chattering together, revealing Joe. Hotaru, all glowy and content, smiled, “Hi darling!” 

He looked weary, “Oh, hey…” 

Kurt frowned, “Is everything okay at the office?” 

“It’s fine” he assured, “I’m just tired.” 

Gwen gave him a dark glare and Hotaru looked nervous, smiling lightly, “Darling, did you tell Kyo and Gwen they couldn’t…have relations?” 

Joe stared at her blankly before looking enlightened, “Oh yea. Well, yea.” 

“But…we’re not holding back” she said carefully. 

“Well, we’re not having all out relations” Joe countered in the same tone. 

“You won’t let us have _any_ ” Kyo grunted. 

Joe crossed his arms, sounding irritatingly reasonable, “ _I_ know _I’ll_ be holding back and won’t get carried enough to have all out relations with my wife. I can’t really say with you two.” 

Jyun coughed, “Mayday.” 

Kyo’s jaw was ticking, “So what? I don’t have self-control, is that what you’re saying?” 

“I’m saying to reduce temptation you shouldn’t have _relations_ at all” Joe responded, looking exasperated. 

“You’re talking about sex, right?” Emma cocked a brow suddenly. 

“ _Emma_!” Kurt actually squeaked. 

Carrie smirked, rolling her eyes, “She’s not oblivious, idiot.” 

Jyun rubbed his brow, smirking as well, “Little bro, I know it’s a pain but Gwen’s only got a few weeks left. You have to wait a few weeks after that but then it’s free game.” 

Kyo glared at him, “I _hate_ hypocritical stuff, Jyun!” 

Joe looked annoyed, “How am I being a hypocrite?!” 

“I may be wrong but the same thing that’s in _my_ wife is in _your_ wife and you’re _petting_ with your wife so I should be able to _pet_ with mine!” 

“Look, your wife is carrying _my_ baby; there are certain things that I want done in a certain way!” snapped Joe. 

“She’s _my_ wife and we’re still effin’ people who can make our own decisions! I can understand what you’re saying about this and how important this baby is to you--” Kyo started. 

Joe interrupted however, “Then you should understand that I can’t risk it!” 

“Risk _what_? Believe it or not, your baby is growing inside a _person_ , that _person_ being my wife. I care about both this baby and Gwen’s well-being so I’m not going to do anything to endanger either of them but you’re being _ridiculous_. It’s something we want to do and you’re the only thing getting in our way!” Kyo growled. 

“If you couldn’t abide by _this_ then we never should have gone through with it” Joe said, snippy. 

“Joe!” gasped Hotaru. 

“Well, you sure as hell didn’t ask my damn opinion on the matter so I guess it’s hard to say, huh?” Kyo spat back, “Fine Joe, if I can’t even get _petted_ then you shouldn’t be able to either. The risk is the same for _both_ of them!” 

“It’s different!” Joe flipped. 

“Why?!” 

“Because Gwen’s baby actually has a chanc--” 

Joe quickly stopped but unfortunately, he hadn’t stopped soon enough. 

Kurt gawked, “… _Shin_.” 

Joe gave a full-body wince and quickly turned to his wife, “Hotaru, I didn’t--” 

Hotaru just stared at him before her eyes shifted, “…Oh.” 

“Hotaru--” Joe started in a pleading tone. 

But the pregnant woman stood and started out of the house. Gwen looked mortified, quickly standing too, “H-Hotaru!” 

All the women quickly chased after her and Joe just stood there, gaping. Kyo’s eyes were wide too. 

Takeru, still sitting, his blue eyes large, questioned, “Uh…what’d I miss?” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Gwen smiled wanly as she waved after her friends who were going through the airport. 

…Ugh. 

Kyo sat in the car, twiddling his thumbs as she returned, sliding into the passenger seat. He glanced at her weakly as she gazed steadfast ahead. “H-honest baby, I wouldn’t have tried to argue or anything if I knew that kind of thing was going to come out.” 

Gwen was silent and he groaned, “Gw-e-e-e-e-n.” 

“Kyo” she sighed heavily after a moment, “I’m not mad at you, honestly. What do I have to be upset with you about? You were just voicing your opinion.” 

He grimaced, easing out into traffic, “How is Hotaru?” 

“She won’t talk to me” she grumbled miserably, “This whole time, Kyo. Kurt told me that she always seemed depressed after the first pregnancy and that I should make her ignore all that and be happy. She seemed happy right?” 

“Very” he assured, reaching out to stroke her hand, “I…I’ll talk to her, okay? I still feel like this is mostly my fault.” 

“It’s not” she reassured silently, “I can’t…I can’t believe Joe would _think_ something like that.” 

Kyo just shook his head and glanced at the bridge for a moment. He supposed that he couldn’t understand that but he’d never been in that situation so perhaps not. Gwen looked exhausted. He didn’t like this one bit. 

He gave her hand a squeeze, asking softly, “Are you okay? You’ve seemed really drained lately.” 

She laughed softly, “Yea, well, can I contest that I don’t want kids because of this being really, really exhausting?” 

He stared at her, dark shadows under her eyes despite her healthy tone, wincing every moment the baby seemed to give her a ‘love tap’, and, for a moment, he found himself worrying for some reason. He smiled some softly. 

“Yea, well, if you think this is exhausting, imagine the actual kid…” 

She groaned and he chuckled faintly, “I said it’s up to you anyway.” 

Gwen nodded softly and he waved a hand, “Lie down and nap, baby.” 

Not making a single complaint, she pulled the lever on the side of the chair and rested on her side to accommodate the baby. She gazed at him drearily. 

“Can we have that mesquite chicken for dinner?” she asked in a hopeful tone. 

Smiling at her as they stopped at a light, “Anything you want.” 

“Kyo, do you think I’m a traitor? Y’know, to the feminist cause?” 

He snorted, “I can’t think of anything better to be a traitor to if having a kid is called treason.” 

“Don’t be a jerk” she chastised, “It’s still my major.” 

He opened his mouth before it suddenly struck him. He glanced at her briefly as he swiped the card for access to the bridge, “…How have you been going to school?” 

Gwen looked confused before shrugging, “I’m doing online classes.” 

“…But those are only worth like one or two credits!” 

Gwen smiled at him weakly and he groaned, wanting to slam his head into the steering wheel. She was going to be there forever. 

“It’ll work out to the better” she said assuredly, closing her eyes. 

He glanced at her as her breath slowed and she slept deeply. Focusing on the road ahead, he felt eerily like things were once again going to change. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Hey gorgeous.” 

Inaba Hotaru looked up and couldn’t even manage a smile. Kyo rubbed his arm and slammed down beside her on the couch of his dad’s home. “So my dad’s been letting you stay here?” 

She nodded simply and he folded his hands, pursing his lips, “Um, Hotaru, I know you’re probably uber pissed at me--” 

Hotaru’s glum look turned to shock, “What? Why would I be?” 

“Well, I kind of started this whole mess.” 

Hotaru shook her head, sighing, “No, no you didn’t.” 

She looked like she was falling apart and he bit his lip, reaching out, “Do you need a hug?” 

Staring at him for a moment, she sniffed and pushed her face into his side, “I don’t mean to lose the babies, Kyo!” 

This really alarmed him, “Sweetie, no, don’t-don’t think that! I’m-I’m sure that’s not what Joe meant.” 

“Then what did he mean?” she said silently, obviously angry, “My baby’s disregarded, right? He can have sex with me because if I lose it, it’ll be expected. But he has to protect the baby inside of Gwen because ‘it has a chance’.” 

She trembled and Kyo stroked her back, “Hotaru, if Joe actually thinks that, I’d be surprised.” 

Quiet for a moment, she murmured, “I did think it a few times, you know? That Gwen’s baby will probably be okay. Mine is always a risk but…hearing it from my own husband...” 

She started to heave a bit as he grunted, “Hotaru, come on. You can’t let this get to you. And you know what? You need to keep faith to prove _both_ of you wrong. Your little boy needs that from you.” 

She cried a bit, “…My little boy.” 

“You’ve named him, right?” Kyo questioned faintly, “Shen?” 

She nodded and he sighed, “Then you tell Shen that you can’t wait to see him and to watch him grow up. He’ll have an older sister and she might try to dress him funny but he has a lot to look forward to and that you don’t doubt for a second that he’ll be okay.” 

She laughed tearfully, “Kyo…” 

Burying her face into his side, “I’m sorry I get so upset sometimes and don’t talk to Gwen. A part of me will always be jealous, I suppose but I’m so grateful to the _both_ of you and I’m sorry about Joe…hindering you.” 

“It’s fine. She seems pretty languid anyway” he sighed, “I…I really need her right now so I just want to make sure she’s okay.” 

Hotaru’s eyes glittered with tears, “I’m sorry we didn’t ask you.” 

He snickered, “Hotaru, I’ve had to get over that, okay?” 

“Still…” 

“Hey!” 

Kyo’s eyes widened and he glanced to the door. Naturally Joe was there, seething, “Why are you making my wife cry?” 

“Why are you being an idiot?” Kyo countered, “We’re _talking._ ” 

Hotaru clambered to her feet and glared at her husband, “Stop it, Joe! He’s come over here to make me feel better and is even defending you!” 

“I don’t need anyone to defend me” he huffed, walking towards her, “Come home, please? I can’t stand that you’re not there.” 

Her green eyes narrowed and she grunted, “No.” 

“Hotaru!” he said, exasperated, “I-I don’t even _think_ that, okay? It-it came out of somewhere but it isn’t what I feel! I look forward to _both_ of our kids, okay? I have hopes that they’ll both be okay!” 

“Hopes?” she snarled, “That’s all? Just ‘hopes’ that it’ll be okay?” 

Joe slouched before giving Kyo a dark glare, “Why did you have to come back early?”   
  


“Joe!” hissed Hotaru. 

“Fate” Kyo stated in a flat tone. 

“Everything was going _fine_. Gwen didn’t have to think about the fact that she wasn’t having sex with her husband or be stressed that you’re bitching over us not being able to contact you beforehand because you were a thousand miles away! Who the f—k goes across the world and leaves their wife anyway?” Joe spat icily, “And you act like you actually care about her and all you ever care about is getting some!” 

“Joe, stop it!” Hotaru pleaded. 

Kyo felt, well, angry. That kind of anger usually led him to do something completely idiotic once upon a time. Maybe irate was more appropriate? Taking a deep breath, feeling a migraine, he hissed, “I don’t have to take this. I’m leaving.” 

“Kyo” Hotaru wept. 

He had to keep the vein in his temple from exploding when his cell phone rang. Picking up, keeping his tone calm, he answered, “Hello?” 

Frowning, he blinked, “What? Isn’t it…too early? And I…I just left her like three hours ago.” 

He silently listened to the end of this nightmare before sighing, “We’ll be there shortly. Tell her to 'hold on'.” 

Closing his phone, he sent a dark look at Joe but smiled at Hotaru, “Guess what? Your baby’s on the way. Seemed she can’t wait to see you.” 

Hotaru gasped loudly, rushing, “Oh my God, isn’t it too early?!” 

Kyo sighed, “They’re not concerned. They said she was a healthy weight so it’ll be fine that she’s a few weeks too soon.” 

“Oh! We have to get there quickly! Poor Gwen!” she rasped, grabbing her thin coat. 

She glared angrily back at Joe who looked stunned too before mumbling, “It’s _our_ baby, okay? Can…can I drive you?” 

Hotaru looked like it was the last thing she wanted but Kyo grasped her shoulder, “You’re parents now. You need the ride to talk things over. I’ll meet you there.” 

She glanced at him before nodding, kissing his cheek, “Thank you for being so supportive, Kyo.” 

“It’s fine” he assured quietly before heading out to his car. 

This was over now, he thought with reassurance. His wife would go back to normal, his _life_ would go back to normal. He wouldn’t have to deal with asshole cousin-in-laws or anything like that. 

They were almost free and he could start over again with her. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

The hospital was bustling when they arrived and Kyo frowned when he looked around. Okay, where was she? 

Glancing behind him as Joe and Hotaru arrived, Hotaru ran up to him, “Have you found her?” 

He shook his head and glanced at the nurse, walking towards the receptionist, “Hi, I’m looking for Yagami Gwen. She’s in labor right now. Where's the maternity ward?” 

The woman blinked and started to look through her papers when suddenly another nurse walked up to them. She was wearing weird shaped glasses, her face marred with frown lines. She was holding a clipboard and sized the three of them up in a second. What the hell? “Are you her…?” 

“I’m her husband” Kyo informed. 

“And your wife was the surrogate?” 

Kyo cocked a brow, “Yes. These are the two parents.” 

Hotaru and Joe came up, holding hands. Huh, seemed they resolved their issues. Well, he wasn’t sure he could forgive Joe for calling him a bad husband. He didn’t have room to talk, he thought bitterly. 

Shaking off his caustic thoughts, he frowned, “We’re in a bit of a hurry. Do you know where she is?” 

The woman sniffed some as if he was being stupid. “Well, I have unfortunate news.” 

Kyo flinched back a little, “Unfortunate news? She’s having a baby--” 

“She didn’t.” 

Kyo was getting angry, “What the hell are you talking about? ‘She didn’t’?” 

The woman pushed the frame of her glasses up her nose a bit, “Your wife and the baby? They didn’t make it. There were complications and she went into shock. We couldn’t revive the infant either.” 

They all stared at her like she was crazy. 

… “Wh-what are you _saying_?” Kyo hissed. 

“She’s dead.” 

The woman turned without another word. The noise, the loud noise of the hospital became a deafening hum. Everything everyone did became like slow motion. The color evaporated, it all became white then black. 

… _Dead_? 

He might have screamed, he just couldn’t hear anything. He knew he crumbled to his knees and falling on his face but he might have cried out in horror. 

He knew he had no reason to live anymore. 

“K-Kyo!” Hotaru blubbered, coming to her knees beside him and tried to pull him up. 

He wretched, choked on haggard breaths, wanted to vomit. Dead? She was healthy! She-she just asked him to make her dinner! She was _okay_. 

…But…but she was so tired, so exhausted. She seemed like she was in such _pain_. Did…did he just ignore it? Were there signs? 

Crossing his arms over his chest, clutching his shoulders tightly, he managed to pull his face from the floor, his body involuntarily convulsing. She-she died? 

He turned his tear struck eyes hatefully towards Joe and Hotaru. She died because of _them_. 

“K-Kyo…” Joe whispered, looking mortified, “I’m-I’m so--” 

No. No, this shouldn’t have ever happened. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to ever lose his _wife._ What was he going to do now? What was he going to do without her? 

He’d lost _everything_. 

What was left for him now? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep.
> 
> Anyway:
> 
> Elli’s deal is from the final chapter of “This Love”. The conversation about the music is kind of a nod towards Chapter 10 of “This Love” as well. If you don’t recall, at the end Roomi and Jyun have to sleep at his parent’s house and she asks if he ever thought about messing around there which he answers basically ‘no’. Turns out…no. But March of the Pigs is not a bump-and-grind kind of song. Closer, yes…this is also a reference to the club scene in Leave Out All the Rest where Kurt and Carrie were dancing (Chapter 4). Darling Nikki is Prince and Sex on Fire is Kings of Leon which just seems kind of cute…but eh. And! Hot for Teacher is Van Halen and the line Kyo uses is a play on one of its lyrics.
> 
> OMG, Takeru?! He hasn’t appeared since Leave Out All the Rest! That story’s unfortunately a ways down the road but I thought I’d tease you now.
> 
> And finally, just for those of you that can’t afford the $80 DOLLARS it takes to get HM64 (one price I’ve seen, JEEZ), this is a bit of a play on games. This series typically plays around Back to Nature’s setting (if you don’t know, HM64 is A LOT different. Same characters but almost no one has the same role) but when Kyo says the bakery reminds him of his mother, it’s a little “Easter” egg because in HM64, she was a baker.
> 
> …See you next chapter! Still working on the surprise!


	20. Lesson Twenty

“ _What_ _? You-you idiot! Be a_ _man_ _! Think only about_ _yourself_ _! You could have been killed! Did you hear that doctor? You were within an inch of being dead! You-you dumb—stupid--! How-how could you do that to_ _me_ _?! I-I love you--”_

Kyo woke with an absolute start. 

He must have fainted because of the stress, now stretched out on the chairs in the waiting room. The dim hum of beeping monitors measuring out the lives of the still living echoed all around him and he felt himself sob. 

He burst into tears again, tears far more painful then when he “lost” his mother. But this time, there’d be no Gwen to sit there beside him to comfort him, to stay with him. And his mother certainly wasn’t going to return the favor. He didn’t exist after all. 

She was gone. They were _all_ gone. 

Hotaru was beside him, sniffling, and glanced at him, “K-Kyo--” 

She was red with tears, with melancholy. She’d lost another baby. Kyo trembled, hating himself. He never should have gone away. He should have never left her, left her to be lonely enough to do something like this. She’d still be alive, they’d be happy. She’d be _alive_. 

His mind was slowly snapping and he started to laugh insanely, standing, holding his sides. No, no, he should have _never_ gone to that bar. He should have _never_ married her. Then she would be alive. sShe would have lived on, she would have been okay. Dead?! 

“Kyo, come on, man…” Joe whispered, disturbed. 

He was laughing and weeping, giggling and wailing. It was all his fault. Dead! 

“Hey!” 

Hotaru, staring at her slowly crumbling cousin, felt so horrible, felt so… _empty_. Gwen was so young, she had so much left to do with her life and she died for _them_. Shaking her head, she glanced behind her and found Nelly rushing towards them, exasperated. 

“Jesus, didn’t someone call you guys like four hours ago? What have you been doing?” he demanded before his brows creased, staring at his son, “What the hell is wrong with you?” 

Kyo had started to cackle and heave, his whole body shaking, gazing at the floor like nothing else was going on around him. Nelly was more than a little freaked out. Marching over to his son, he grabbed his shoulders and gave him a nice shake. 

“Kyo, what the f—k are you flipping out about?” he demanded loudly, trying to get his attention. 

Kyo screamed, “What do you mean what am I flipping out about!?” 

He tried to wrench away but Nelly didn’t let go and he wailed, “My mother’s gone away! She _hates_ me! She _disowned_ me and _now_? Now as if that wasn't _enough_ my wife’s gone too!! I don’t have anything left and it’s all my fault!” 

Nelly’s eyes widened exponentially, looking baffled, “What are you talking about?” 

“Gwen’s dead! She’s dead and she was all I had left!!” he practically shrieked. 

He wept as his father forced his face into his chest, grunting, “...Don’t be dumb. Whatever may happen, I will _always_ be here for you. You have a whole family that loves you too. Do you think she would want you to freak out like this?” 

Kyo’s shoulders were flinching as he sniffed, shaking his head, “I…I don’t know…” 

Nelly let out a breath of air and glanced at the receptionist who was in tears herself, “Can I get some cold water and a cloth, please?” 

She nodded and one of the other emotionally moved nurses rushed to get the items. When she returned, Nelly shook his head, dipping the cloth and wiping his son’s face. 

“Stop it” he commanded when Kyo continued to cry. 

“U-Uncle Nelly…” Hotaru whimpered incredulously. 

He glanced at them too and grunted, “You two get yourself together too!” 

They just kind of gawked and Nelly shook his head, “I don’t know _who_ the hell told you guys Gwen had passed on but they were severely misinformed.” 

…What? Hotaru’s eyes widened, “Wh-what?” 

“Gwen is perfectly fine,” he muttered, “As is your baby who has been waiting on you guys for the last hour. I just came out to look for you.” 

Joe’s eyes widened too and Hotaru’s hands flew to her mouth, “Y-you’re sure?” 

“Of course. I’ve been with both of them this whole time” he informed, “Now really, clean up. She’s cranky and all worked up that both her husband and the parents have been completely missing in action. She’d probably be stressed seeing you guys like this.” 

He glared at his son who was just staring at him, “ _You_ especially! I don’t ever want to see you like this again!” 

Kyo nodded almost dumbly and Nelly suddenly looked angry, “But then, who the f—k would tell you guys something like that either?” 

…It was too good to be true. His dad was some illusion his disillusioned mind created, delivering him news that he wanted. It…it was too good to be true. 

When Nelly decided they were decently presentable, he led them to the elevator, going up two floors. Nelly walked to the end up the hallway, taking a left into a room. The three followed cautiously. They were all dubious, it seemed. 

“Oh. My. _God_. I could kill you!” 

Gwen. 

Most of the family was in the large room, Gwen lying in bed, her hair a blonde sweaty mess, glaring angrily at them. “I was in labor for _five_ hours! _Five_ hours! Jeez!” 

They all stared at her as if she were a ghost. 

Hotaru came to first but ended up bursting into crazed tears, rushing to her and hugging her shoulders, “Oh Gwen!! Oh! You’re okay!” 

Gwen’s purple eyes widened, seeming very confused, “What? Of course I’m okay.” 

Joe looked like he was ready to faint and Gwen frowned deeply, “Did someone get the message crossed about why I was in the hospital? You guys knew it was because I was having the baby, right?” 

“It’s-it’s okay” laughed Joe suddenly, shakily, rushing to her and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “I’m…I’m just glad, whatever the case, that you’re okay.” 

Gwen glowered at him, “This is one of two babies, Inaba Shin. You and Hotaru’s baby will make this one a set, got it?” 

“Got it…” he smiled wearily. 

“Kyo-chan, are you okay?” Roomi suddenly said, alarmed. 

Jyun’s brows were creased too as he and his wife walked over to his brother, Hoshiko already at his side, “Yea, what the hell? Why are you so pale?” 

Gwen blinked, confused. Everyone was blocking him and she couldn’t see his face. “Kyo, baby?” 

He sounded broken, shattered, unlike him, as he said in an almost guttural tone that wasn’t his voice whatsoever: “I need some air.” 

Gwen gaped as he apparently left and Jyun stared after him, wide-eyed, “…What’s up with him?” 

“Maybe we should go after him” Hoshiko said, worried. 

Nelly held up a hand, “Leave him be.” 

Before Gwen could question what happened, now rather concerned herself, Jilliana arrived with a smile, “Ah, there’s mommy and daddy!” 

Hotaru gasped, a pink bundle in the woman’s arms. “I-is that…?” 

Jilliana smiled wider, nodding, “Here she his.” 

The parents rushed over and Joe laughed shakily, “Oh my God, she’s beautiful.” 

Hotaru started to bawl as she accepted the bundle into her arms, “Oh, hello, pretty girl.” 

She had pink hair and blue eyes, open, gazing at the two in what may have been a curious fashion, her skin rosy. Joe kissed her forehead and kissed Hotaru’s as well. Delightedly, Hotaru handed the baby to Joe and quickly went to Gwen’s side, hugging her again. “I will always be so grateful to you, sweetie! I love you!” 

“I’m glad it worked out” Gwen said happily, hugging her as well, “And I love you guys too.” 

Joe smiled, stroking the tiny baby’s cheek with his finger before watching in amazement as her tiny hand wrapped around his thumb, “Oh, my little Ai…” 

Roomi smiled at this before glancing towards Nelly, “Hey, what’s going on with Kyo?” 

Nelly sighed and leaned against the wall. Hotaru, going to watch her baby in awe, looked infuriated suddenly. “That-that _bitch_.” 

“Oh jeez” Jyun remarked, wide-eyed, “That’s not good if _Hotaru’s_ saying it.” 

Joe looked pissed off too as he looked up, “When we were trying to find your room, some woman came up to us, a nurse, and she told us that-that…” 

They both went silent and Gwen frowned, “That what?” 

Nelly pursed his lips, “Someone told them that you and the baby had died from complications, Gwen.” 

Gwen stiffened and Jyun gaped incredulously, “ _What?_ ” 

“Who the hell would do something like that?!” demanded Roomi. 

Jilliana looked aghast, “M-maybe there was a mix up! What did she look like?” 

Hotaru and Joe described her and Jilliana scowled, “I’ll look into this, don’t you worry.” 

She stormed out of the room and Gwen gaped for words. Nelly shook his head again, looking tired, “He was going nuts.” 

…Oh Kyo. 

Gwen winced and pushed her knees over the side of the bed. Nelly grunted, “You stay right there, Gwen. You _just_ gave birth.” 

“I’ll be fine” she said stubbornly, “I need to see my husband.” 

“We’ll go get him” Jyun insisted faintly, “You relax.” 

“No! He-he didn’t want this at all and-and for him to be told something like that, it-it just made things worse! I’m going to him” she said firmly, standing before sitting in the wheelchair that delivered her to the room, wheeling herself out without another word. 

Nelly frowned after her before laughing faintly, “He’s…desperately attached to her.” 

“I’d be a crushed too if something happened to my wife” muttered Jyun. 

Roomi grabbed his elbow, biting her lip, and Nelly shook his head, “I can understand that but...I don't know. He's...not doing so well.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

_She’s dead._

The words echoed like some panoramic nightmare, like a deadly echo threatening to strangle him. Standing on the roof, he stared down from the tall building, contemplating mental suicide because for some reason, he couldn’t come back. 

She was okay. 

For an hour, she was dead. Now she was okay. His brain couldn’t accept either. Everything was kind of blank. He existed in a mere fugue state at the moment, completely outside of himself. He wasn’t Kyo. He really didn’t honestly know who that was nor if he even existed. No, he was this person that just lost his wife except, supposedly, Kyo still had a wife. A wife he should be delighted was alive, that, whatever the case, was just apart of some hurtful mishap. He still had his everything. 

But his heart hurt _so_ much. He couldn’t…breathe... 

Sliding to his knees, he sat in the corner of the building, hugging himself. For a mere hour, he lost his mind. Had he been left alone longer, he would have gone into psychotic shock and giggled himself to death. Only seemed appropriate, this whole thing had to be a joke. 

He felt sick when he wanted something to fall from the sky and kill him. He’d never been the suicidal type. Never. This feeling though? He understood it and he loathed it. 

…He would have been lost without her. 

“Kyo…?” 

Apparition. 

He looked up, his eyes burning, exhausted, aged, as he stared at her. She slowly walked towards him, “…Shouldn’t you be resting? You just got out of labor, right?” At least, that’s what Kyo would say. 

Gwen didn’t say anything as she sank down beside him. He stared at her more and she finally looked confused, “Kyo? Are you okay?” 

“Why?” 

“You’re staring at me funny.” 

Apparition. 

She pursed her lips and took his hand, shocking him, and pressed it to her cheek, “I’m right here, Kyo. I’m okay. I’m alive. See?” 

He gazed at her and she kissed his palm, her eyes filling with tears, “I’m sorry. I can’t believe anyone could make such a careless mistake. I can’t even imagine what you were feeling.” 

Her skin was warm. Her breath tickled the flesh of his hand. Living things breathed. His eyes grew wider and slowly, he realized, the world had color. 

Blinking rapidly, his eyes filling with tears again, he choked, pulling her into his arms, hugging her so tightly, “You-you can’t _ever_ die, do you understand me?!” 

Gwen sniffled, hugging his face as he cried endlessly. She sighed, swallowing the lump in her throat, “I won’t, okay? Please stop crying, baby…” 

His skin was burning with another stress-induced fever and they ended up leaning on each other to get back inside the hospital. When they finally got back, Kyo actually kind of collapsed against the door frame. 

“Oh jeez, itoto…” Jyun muttered softly, going to help him up. 

Nelly lifted him at ease and sighed, “I’m taking him home, Gwen.” 

Gwen looked worried and Jyun glanced at his dad, “Maybe we should just put him on the couch. I honestly don’t think he’s stable enough yet.” 

Gwen nodded rapidly, “Please do. I won’t be able to rest knowing he’s like this.” 

Nelly just groaned and shook his head, lying his son on the couch. Jyun gazed at him before whispering something into his father’s ear. Nelly nodded without looking away from Kyo as Jyun exited. 

Gwen blinked softly as the man leaned over and kissed his son’s forehead affectionately before smiling after her, “You get some rest, okay? He’ll be alright.” 

She nodded swiftly and the man left. She stared at Kyo as she lied on her side, feeling unconditionally loved. Problem was it was the most troubling thing in the world. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kyo just started to bawl in the hospital again that next day when he woke up. Gwen just about flipped and stormed out of the room to find the bitch that did this to _her_ baby. But she calmed herself, reminded herself that maybe it was a mistake. A _huge_ careless mistake but still a mistake. 

Jilliana appeared and scowled, “Really Gwen, you need to _rest_. God, I’ve never seen someone so up and around after giving birth without any meds or anything.” 

“I’m pulsing with adrenaline” she sulked, “Did you find the woman?” 

She opened her mouth when Hotaru suddenly appeared with a smile, holding her baby, “Oh, she’s so perfect!” 

Gwen, ultimately pleased, came over and stared down at her, “She’s going to be a martial artist, aren’t ya, Love?” 

The baby made a ‘mew’ sound and Hotaru giggled, kissing her forehead, “I want her to be an artist.” 

Gwen grinned, “It’s up to her. She’s a day old though, she has time to figure it out.” 

Jilliana smiled and Hotaru suddenly looked angry after glancing towards the door. “Here Gwen, hold Ai for a second.” 

Gwen frowned and took the baby as Hotaru suddenly started to stalk towards a nurse, talking to someone. 

…That was her. 

Jilliana and her quickly followed and Hotaru was near screaming, “Where do you get off, scaring us like that?! How dare you make us think we lost _two_ family members!? What’s wrong with you!?” 

Jilliana quickly grabbed her arm and Gwen frowned, hushing Ai as she got upset by all the noise. The woman glared at her after a moment and said in a harsh tone: “It was a lesson.” 

… _What?_

“A lesson for _what_?” 

“You have no reason to have had that child for them, do you? How much did they pay you, hmm? A thousand? Maybe a million pieces?” 

… _What_?   
  


“These…” Gwen seethed, having to stop because she almost saw red. “Are my _family_. I did this for free and because I _love_ them, you stupid _bitch_!” 

Unfortunately Gwen was kind of detained for beating the woman up. She was at least fired from the hospital for her little show against “baby mills” as it was. All women weren’t evil, her ass, Tomei-sensei. 

Maybe she lost a baby. Maybe she lost a baby to a surrogate that decided she'd rather keep her child. Maybe. But did that 'maybe' vindicate searing that pain onto another? How did Hotaru and Joe feel hearing they'd lost a fourth child? And then they hear she'd died too and she'd been carrying their baby? There was no excuses to be found. No, no. Evil wasn't gender biased. 

And her poor Kyo. 

She looked at Kyo who was in his own little universe and wondered how she was going to get him back now. He'd been so quiet lately. When they returned home, he just seemed so locked up in himself. She couldn't get him to eat or even talk much. All day he'd just sit in his solitude and gaze into nothingness. 

How did she fix this? 

Walking towards him, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, kissing his cheek, “What are you thinking about, baby?” 

He smiled faintly and kissed her cheek, “Nothing, really.” 

She frowned, biting her lip, before smiling, “I’m going to go and take a shower. Be right back.” 

He nodded faintly and she sighed. Part of her thought he just needed time. Alas, another part of her realized that he may have just needed her help. 

Showering, setting her mind, she wandered back down the steps to where Kyo was still sitting and then grabbed his hand. He glanced at her and she pulled him up, “Come here, I need to talk to you.” 

“…Okay.” 

She sat him on the couch and held his hands, gazing into his eyes. “Kyo, remember when we first met? How I hated that men felt women are dependent on them?” 

He nodded slowly and she gnawed at her lip thoughtfully, “Instead, have you gotten a little too…dependent on me?” 

His brown eyes narrowed, “Not that I know of. Am I being ‘dependent’ if I’m upset my wife 'died'?” 

“Of course not! I can't imagine how you felt when you heard that, Kyo. I know I'd be in despair if anything happened to you!” she exclaimed, distraught, “I just don’t likethis. You’re not eating, you’re not sleeping, and it’s been going on for _week_ _s_. You’re-you’re treating me like I _am_ dead and I don’t like it. I’m right here with you so why?” 

He bowed his head, “I…I know. It’s just…I don’t know, it hurt me a lot.” 

Gwen bit her lip, “Then…for me, will you get therapy?” 

“Hell no!” 

She rolled her eyes. The first Kyo-like thing he’d said in forever and it was to reject her trying to help him. “Kyo, you really seem to need it. You’ve lost weight and you’ve barely left the house. Not to mention you’re holding a grudge against Joe, Hotaru, and the baby who didn’t have anything to do with that bitch lying to you.” 

Kyo refused to go to dinner nights now because the family would be there. If he accidentally did get near them, he ignored Ai like she didn’t exist. He didn’t say a word to Hotaru or Joe who tried to talk to him. He barely talked in general. 

“I’m _fine_ , Gwen. I don’t need any damn therapy!” 

Gwen gave him a pleading look, “Just…just _one_ meeting, baby? One and I’ll leave you alone.” 

He gave her a glare and she whimpered, “For me?” 

Staring at her a moment longer, he groaned, “Fine. _One_. That’s it.” 

Pleased, she hugged him tightly before standing, “Let me go find a good counselor.” 

Kyo stared after her before sighing miserably. He knew she was right. He knew that whenever he went back to that moment, he realized just how close he’d been to going certifiably insane. He didn’t blame Hotaru or even Joe and especially not Ai. It just was it wouldn’t have even happened if… 

Who was he kidding? It wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t gone away. Yea, maybe he would have gone along with it regardless if he were here but he would have been more in tune with what was going on. He might have even laughed in that stupid bimbo’s face and demanded 'stop messing around. Where the hell was his wife?', not cry like a baby. 

He wasn’t hungry lately, he had noted, and he really couldn’t get a full night of sleep. He supposed both of those things would worry his wife. That wasn’t what he wanted. 

But it still hurt his heart so bad. 

All of it. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Jyun was the oldest. That was a role that no one could understand unless they were in it. Their father placed him in a place of equal footing. Jyun wasn't there for him to baby and coddle. Yea, he may have done that when he was just their only child but that changed when they knew he was the oldest. Jyun was their first. Their mother had adored him and Nelly had so much faith in him even when he didn't. 

God, he'd hated when Hoshiko came into the picture, the youngest. Not only the youngest but the only girl? She got placed on a shelf so high Jyun could only catch a glimpse of it. Their mother was delighted with her existence and Nelly naturally was just daddy do-good about it. 

What was he? The forsaken middle child, he supposed? Oh, well, he wasn't Jyun, he couldn't be credited with having any good sense. He's not Hoshiko, he shouldn't really be coddled. His father and mother loved him. 

But how could he not exist? 

The therapist insisted he put all that behind him, what his mother said. How does one put being called nothing by their own mother behind them? Did she not conceive him? Was he not a being that grew inside of her? The simple notion of her denial was so immense and poignant. A father would deny it, sure. They needed outside forces to prove whether or not he was their child but a mother? A mother knew. Elli could forget that and say it so clearly. 

Gwen could be out of his life so fast it scared him. 

He couldn't replace the forsaken love of his mother with hers. She was his wife. They had a special bond, one that was so delicate and only hardened by the course of trials and time. For some, that bond snapped and they gave way while for others it only grew stronger. The bond one was supposed to have with their mother though? That was supposed to be infinite. That was supposed to be beyond even death. No, she had to sever it. She was his mother and she left him. 

The therapist said that Gwen wasn't to be a replacement. He knew that. Gwen wasn't a replacement, she was an addition. An addition he loved and thus far hadn't severed the bond with him. That bond had been all he had left. 

Then she died. 

How do you look someone in the face and tell them, knowing it was a lie, that their wife had died? How was he supposed to take it? How was he supposed to take the fact everything he had, in the end, was broken? For that bitter moment, all his bonds were broken and he had no place to go from there. 

He sat outside of Joe and Hotaru's house, gripping the steering wheel. She tried to point out other things that were true to take his mind off this fact, such as that cunt belittling what his wife did. Calling her a gold digging baby mill? That should have been enough to turn him from his agony. Gwen really was one of the sweetest women he knew and for her to insult her like that, it was unthinkable. 

The woman also mentioned he needed to take steps to forgiveness. Forgiveness? Forgiveness of what? He needed to forgive the baby, she'd said. The baby hadn't done anything whatsoever. Oh yes, yes, that was true. Good. Surely she wasn't mentioning forgiveness for anything else. 

So yes, the baby had nothing to do with it. That baby had nothing to do with that cold-hearted woman’s decree. He'd blamed Hotaru and Joe but they were crying there right along with him. He could agree to that and, if he could get over anything, it was that. That was the only step he was willing to take right now aside from reconciling that his bond with Gwen still remained because she was alive. She woke up every morning pleading with him to eat or asking him to come to bed. 

What amount of forgiveness would it take for him to stop thinking she could leave him any moment? 

He let out a breath in a ‘woosh’. One step at a time, Kyo. Forgive an innocent baby and her innocent parents before you considered the rest of your issues. Climbing out of his car and marching up the steps, he knocked on the door. He frowned as he awaited an answer. 

…Nothing. 

After a second knock, he sighed. Okay, they weren’t home. He’d come by a little later then. 

“…please help…” 

He paused as he started down the steps. What? What was that? 

Looking around, he frowned. No one was around him. Was he hearing things? 

“Please help!” 

…No, he didn’t imagine that. Gaping, he rushed back up the steps and knocked rapidly, “Hey!! Hotaru, is that you!?” 

“Kyo?! Please, please, please help!” she pleaded from the inside. 

He gritted his teeth and got a bit of a running start before throwing all his weight against the door. After a second lunge, the hinges gave and he let out a breath. 

He gawked. Hotaru was lying on the floor, soaked in sweat and blood, clutching her swollen stomach and screaming, sobbing. 

…Oh God! He quickly rushed to her side, kneeling, gaping, “Oh my God, you’re in labor!” 

Hotaru gave him a look underneath her sweaty brow, grabbing his shirt, “No _S—T_!” 

Pregnancy can turn the nicest of girls angry. Reaching for his phone, he hectically called an ambulance, crying hysterically on the phone, “Help! My cousin's in labor and I don’t know what to do-o-o-o!” 

He listened frantically and gave the address before getting the horrible news. Gaping, he yelped, “O-okay.” 

Clicking off, he swallowed, grinning anxiously, “There was a huge accident on the main road so they aren’t going to able to readily get here for at least an hour. Nor can anyone, apparently.” 

“Noo!” she sobbed loudly. 

“I-it’s cool, Hotaru! J-just hold it in!” 

She gave him a death glare, “Kyo.” 

“Please! Look, I'm still getting over the fact that my wife almost died! I’m not a doctor, I can’t deliver a baby!” 

She wept, “Please Kyo-o-o-o!” 

She was crying, sobbing. He bit his lip before shaking his head and rushing to his feet, “W-where are the towels?” 

“U-upstairs in the closet. And-and please get Ai too! I was going to call a neighbor to get her but I collapsed.”   
  


He groaned and rushed up the steps. How did he get into this? How? Grabbing a tub for water and towels, sheets, and pillows, he threw those down the steps before locating the baby. 

Oh, he thought, staring down into the crib at the sweet innocent cherub that his wife carried so willingly. All hell is breaking loose downstairs and you’re so happy. 

Picking her up, forgetting his mental issues, he went back down the steps and set the baby in her car seat. Resting a pillow under Hotaru’s head, he went and got warm water from the kitchen, dipping a cloth and resting it on her forehead. She was forcing breaths and Kyo swallowed, bracing himself as he moved to sit near her legs. 

“...Oh, I don’t want to see my cousin’s snatch!” he suddenly sobbed. 

“ _Kyo_!!” 

Picking up his phone, he called Jilliana to help him. She freaked. “Kyo, you have _no_ idea how dangerous this birth is. She needs to be at a hospital!” 

“The ambulance said all the main roads towards the hospital are blocked!” 

Then he realized he drove here. “I can drive around! It…it’d take like two hours, but I’d get her there!” 

“We don’t have two hours!” Hotaru shrieked, “The baby’s coming now!” 

Kyo groaned and put the phone on speaker, rolling up his sleeves, “We don’t have a choice, Jilliana.” 

“Oh Jesus.” 

“Yes, let’s pray, then get this going.” 

“Oh, why don't we have a helicopter?” she whined, dismayed, before taking a breath. “O-okay, is…is the baby crowning? Do you see its head?” 

Kyo grimaced as he looked, more appalled than he should have been at the moment but grew _really_ weirded out when he did. “Ah! There’s a head!!” 

“Oh my God. Okay, Hotaru, you need to breathe honey. You’re familiar with this, alright?” 

Hotaru nodded, biting her lip, and started to push. Kyo watched, gaping. God, he was glad he wasn’t a woman! 

“Kyo, do you have a towel and water ready?” 

“Yes…” 

“Good, good. Do you have something to cut the umbilical cord?” 

“…Are you out of your damn mind?” 

“Kyo!” 

“O-okay!” 

He went back to the kitchen and found...scissors. Oh, this was the most horrible day of his life! And this poor baby, it was going through the most half-assed birth ever! 

He quickly went back to his station and bit his lip, “I-I think she’s close.” 

Hotaru squinted her eyes shut and cried, “I want Joe!” 

“I want Joe too!” sobbed Kyo. To take over! 

“Kyo! Hotaru! Get a grip!” scolded Jilliana, “Hotaru, push!” 

Hotaru gritted her teeth and screeched as she shoved. 

It slid out. Kyo gawked as he held the baby, covered in blood, both mortified and fascinated. Hotaru breathed heavily, her body shivering. Kyo quickly wiped the baby gingerly. Wow, that was _nuts_! It was a baby! 

He looked at Hotaru who was sobbing. He looked to her, puzzled, “Hey, wh--” 

“He’s dead too!! He’s dead too!!” she shrieked. 

Kyo gaped at her. What? What was she-- 

…He hadn’t cried. 

Gaping, he stared at the baby in his hands. No sign of movement. It was warm but… 

Gazing at it, this little being that hadn’t done anything to anyone, that hadn’t even been in the world a minute… 

…Dead? 

“ _Fuck_ that!” 

Hotaru looked at him, shocked, as he carefully set the baby down on the blanket, opening the baby’s mouth, “Isn’t there supposed to be mucus or something in his mouth, Jilliana?!” 

She’d gone strangely silent but gasped, “Y-yes!” 

He reached in, all the grossed out parts of him seeming like an afterthought, and still, nothing. Hotaru just wept. He refused. 

Leaning over, he took in a deep breath and gave it CPR. It couldn’t die. No one was dying here. Gwen hadn’t died. Ai hadn’t died. Thus Shen wouldn’t die, damn it! 

Giving small chest compressions, he gave it another breath. Come on! Why would you do this to your mother?! She still loves you! 

He was crying now, horrified, as he gave it chest compressions. She…still loves you. How dare _you_ give up on _her_? 

“K-Kyo, stop, it’s-it’s okay…” Hotaru wailed. 

Shaking his head, giving it another breath and another thrust, he yelled, “Didn’t I tell you to have faith in him?! Yell at him, tell him he has to live!!” 

Hotaru trembled before sobbing, “Please wake up, Shen! I know you’re okay! Please, I need you. I love you!” 

Kyo gave it a strong push. Hear that? She needs you. She loves you. _Stay._

Suddenly it started to cough… 

Kyo’s eyes widened and Hotaru actually squeaked. Picking the tiny creature up, he carefully used the little technique he did know, pressing on his back gently but firmly. He coughed up something before giving the loudest cry _ever_. 

Kyo gasped for breath, staring at it, when Jilliana started screaming from the phone, “Kyo, oh my God, is it okay?!” 

“Y-yea! Wh-what do I do?” 

She advised him on how to cut the cord which he did as tenderly as possible. He was shocked with the whole placenta thing, thankful again that he wasn’t a girl. Cleaning him up better, the babe never having stopped bawling, he wrapped it in a clean towel and laughed shakily, in disbelief and absolutely astounded. 

Hotaru was crying like no tomorrow as was the confused Ai. Kyo crawled over to Hotaru and pulled her up to lean against his chest, “L-look! He’s okay! He’s-he’s okay. Oh...oh my God, he’s okay…” 

Hotaru laughed, in utter tears, as he placed the baby in her arms, “H-he is! Oh, he is!” 

He finally opened his eyes, green like his mothers, the few hairs he had a ruddy brown color. He was so beautiful. She kissed Shen on the lips, still laughing shakily, “Oh darling, thank you.” 

“Guys, ambulances are coming through!” Jilliana announced, “Hold tight.” 

Kyo let out a breath of relief, “Thanks Jilli.” 

He blinked, surprised, when Hotaru kissed him on the cheek rapidly, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!!” 

He blushed sheepishly, “I, uh, didn’t do anything differently than what a doctor would have.” 

She shook her head quickly, “But you didn’t have to! I thought you hated us.” 

He snorted, “No, never.” 

They sat there for a long time, Kyo eventually grabbing Ai so she can see her baby brother who was hungrily suckling his mother. She looked so happy. 

He smiled wearily. Well, that was definitely one way to get over the illogical irritation with Ai: delivering a baby himself. Yes, Shen's mommy was happy and that boy had a bond with her, just like he'd had. 

But all the same, he was happy too. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _You_ did _what_?” 

Kyo grinned at his brother as the man stared at him, wide-eyed, “Just call me Dr. Kyo Yagami, loser.” 

Jilliana laughed as she walked out, moving her surgical mask, “He really did a good job. The baby was choking and he administered CPR and everything.” 

“Well punk, I’m rather impressed. I would have imagined you freaking out over that” Jyun complimented. 

“Psh, who said I didn’t freak out?” he snickered. 

They chuckled and Gwen suddenly ran up, “Kyo!” 

He glanced at her and she looked horrified, “Oh my God, you go to sort out your issues and then you end up delivering a baby!” 

He laughed, pulling her into his arms, “It was the most inspiring moment of my life, sweetheart. I might even become a feminist too because that’s too nuts for anyone to go through.” 

She bit her lip, “Th-then you’re actually okay?” 

He smiled and nodded at her. He frowned when he heard someone clear their throat. Glancing behind him, he found Joe. He looked utterly frazzled and nervous and had a timid smile, “H-hey man.” 

“Hey. The baby okay?” 

“He’s…he’s doing great.” 

Gwen scowled haughtily, “See! I told you!” 

Joe smiled faintly, “I…I don’t think that’d be the case without you, Kyo.” 

Kyo blinked and Joe gnawed his lip, “She would have been lying there and probably…would have died with the baby or something if-if you hadn’t come. And…and you’re understandably angry but for whatever reason, you came by and I’m…I’m so grateful.” 

He held out a hand, “And I’m-I’m sorry about what I said to you before Ai was born. I…I’m so sorry. I…I already told you I wouldn’t like it either if what happened with your wife happened with mine. I was just so frustrated. No…hard feelings?” 

Gwen frowned deeply, “What did you say?” 

Kyo shook his head and shook Joe’s hand, “Nah man, this whole deal was crazy. I can definitely see where you were coming from. Apology accepted and I’m sorry I was such a hard ass about all this too.” 

Gwen blushed as he hugged her waist, “I’m proud of my wife and amazed she could have a baby without drugs.” 

“Ass” she laughed warmly, kissing him. 

Jilliana had gone back in to see Hotaru and peeked out, “Kyo, she wants to see you.” 

He nodded and they all entered the room as family slowly started to arrive. Hotaru had both babies with her. She smiled at them and giggled, “Kyo, guess what? Joe and I are making your name Shen’s middle one.” 

“Uh, que?” 

“Shen Kyo Inaba?” Jyun cocked a brow. 

Roomi cooed, “I think it’s sweet!” 

Kyo blushed and waved his hands quickly, “N-no! Don’t do that!” 

Joe sat on the edge of the bed and grinned, “Nah, Hotaru wants to so it’s settled.” 

“Oh my God.” 

Gwen giggled, “Oh, that’s so cute.” 

Joe smiled, “It doesn’t roll as well but Ai has your name too, Gwen.” 

“…Eh?” 

“Ai Gwen Inaba. Sounds like a good speech header” Jyun mused. 

Roomi elbowed him and Hotaru laughed at the embarrassed looks on both Kyo and Gwen’s face, “You guys don’t even understand. We have a family now.” 

“And we couldn’t have done it without either of you” Joe finished, “Thank you so much.” 

Kyo stared at them before smiling, “We’re glad we helped.” 

“Yes” Gwen agreed, seeming moved to tears. 

They all left the small family to themselves and Kyo let out a breath, “Well…that’s over, huh?” 

“Finally” snorted Jyun. 

Kyo stuck out his tongue and Roomi giggled, hugging his waist, “You seem healthy again either way, darling!” 

“Seriously” Jyun grunted, punching Kyo congenially in the shoulder, “I thought you’d gone and got all EMO on me.” 

“I think I did too” he admitted with a sighing laugh, “But I’ll be okay.” 

“That’s what Yagami are best at” Jyun assured, taking his wife’s hand as she came up beside him, “Want to go get some ice-cream?” 

“Hell yea!” 

Gwen smiled, shaking her head, as Kyo took her hand, Jyun calling Hoshiko to invite her as well. “So is everything okay? Even after all that?” 

“Gwenzy, we have had psycho phantom thieves, crazed delusional murderers, drugs and kidnappers, and insane mothers pretty much try to kill at least one of us in this family. And you know what? This was the most hellish experience of my life, dealing with the idea you were gone.” 

He grinned at her, “But it couldn’t have ended better. We can start anew but I think it was completely worth it now.” 

She smiled, kissing him, “Do you think anything will change?” 

“…Yea but I learned that’s just…life.” 

A really scary part of it at that. 


	21. Lesson Twenty-One

“ _Just yesterday morning, they let me know you were gone. Seems like the plans they made put an end to you. I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song…I just can’t remember who to send it to.”_

Kyo smiled as he held Inaba Shen, the baby spinning what wispy hair he did have around his fingers absently as his green eyes grew heavy, suckling at the bottle Kyo fed him hungrily. 

“ _I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain; I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end. I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend. But I always thought that I’d see you again.”_

Kyo then shifted his lips in thought, “Hmm, that one’s a little depressing, isn’t it, buddy?” 

Rolling his eyes around, he started again, “ _You and I must make a pact: we must bring salvation back…where there is love, I’ll be there…I’ll reach out my hand to you. I’ll have faith in all you do…Just call my name, and I’ll be there. I’ll be there to comfort you; Build my world of dreams around you, I’m so glad that I found you. I’ll be there with a love that’s strong. I’ll be your strength, I’ll keep holding on…”_

“Singing to the baby again, huh?” 

Kyo looked up and grinned when his wife wandered in, holding Ai, “Ah, well…” 

She crashed beside him, handing Ai to him too, kissing his cheek, “I’m going to make a dish for dinner night, okay?” 

“Okay” he sighed, staring at the little girl before smirking, “Did you _really_ think I was going to think these two were twins?” 

“They could be fraternal twins!” 

“No they couldn’t! Look at how much bigger she is!” 

Shen’s eyes opened and he pinned him with a look like ‘stfu, I’m napping’. Kyo laughed, “Sorry buddy.” 

Ai snuggled against Kyo’s chest and he sighed. How they ended up watching these two, he had no idea. Joe’s family had some emergency they had to deal with and though he wanted Hotaru to stay with the babies she insisted she wanted to go. Not needing the added on stress of two babies, well, they were the next option, it seemed. Grandpa Shin was also away on duty and Hotaru’s mother Lyla away as well. 

“Oh, you two are so cute” he yawned 

He blinked when there was a knock at the door. Relaxing the infants in their seats, he walked over to answer. 

“Hey man, long time no hear!” 

Kyo was surprised, shaking Matt’s hand, “Yo dude! Yea, sorry, things just went straight to hell in a hand basket around here when I got back. It’s been crazy.” 

Kyo invited his former teacher in and the man’s eyes widened as he stared at the babies, “Uh, those aren’t yours, are they?” 

“No, I don’t work quite that fast” he laughed. 

Gwen peeked out and blinked, “Oh, Wilson-sensei?” 

“Yagami-san” he smiled, giving a bow. 

“Damn skippy.” 

Gwen smirked at him and Kyo had the teacher sit, slamming down across from him on the recliner, “So to what do I owe the honor, man? You’re not exactly a house call kind of guy.” 

Matt chuckled, “Nah, but I was kind of also sent by the department not to mention I wanted to see if you were alive.” 

Kyo sighed with a laugh, “Again, really long story. Why the department though?” 

“Well, as you know only a handful of anthropologists every few years go to South America.” 

Gwen sat on the arm of the recliner, curious, and Matt continued, “Well, they want to hear about your finds so they kind of want you to give a seminar.” 

“…They want _me_ to do _what_?” 

Gwen’s purple eyes grew, “… _Kyo_ teach a seminar?” 

He pouted at her and Matt laughed, “Why not? You’re very charismatic and everyone’s really interested in what you’ve discovered.” 

Kyo looked a little weirded out by the idea but shrugged awkwardly, “I…I guess. I really haven’t had any work lately.” 

“Oh, and they would pay you for it. It’s a three week long convention of sorts.” 

“ _Three weeks_?” 

Gwen pursed her lips, giving Kyo a look to which he grinned nervously in return. Matt smirked. “Unfortunately I haven’t been married long enough to interpret the meaning behind that look so…?” 

“It means that I can’t do it” Kyo sighed. 

“Why?” 

“Well, our anniversary is coming up” Kyo sighed again. 

“Ah” Matt chuckled, “Well, that’s understandable. And you did go away for almost a year.” 

“Yea, I’m skating on thin ice as it is” Kyo rolled his eyes around. 

  
Gwen snorted, tapping him chidingly, as Matt laughed, “Well, either way, here’s the paper work just in case. Oh, and you got some letters and papers from South America.” 

“Hopefully it’s not a bill for all the bananas I ate.” 

Gwen smirked and Matt grinned, standing, “Unless you ate up the whole jungle of bananas, I doubt it. I’ll talk to you later. And if something comes up where you can do at least _half_ the convention, let me know.” 

Kyo nodded, letting the man out as he gave his parting. Closing the door, he frowned, Gwen going back into the kitchen. Letters from South America? Kissing Ai’s cheek, he opened one letter. He was surprised. Mama Consuela? 

The woman hadn’t known how to write as she was raised under the adage that women didn’t need to know such things. Admittedly, though he did know how to write in English it probably was somewhere on average of what an American six-year-old would do. So when it came time to get some supplies, he asked for flashcards and _tried_ to teach her but she got disinterested and he ended up teaching her kids. Maybe they’d written it for her. 

He blinked, reading the Spanish kind of confusedly for a moment. It only took a moment to remember the language he’d had to master and spoke nonstop for ten months. It just kind of hit him that he was trilingual. 

…He was more than a little shocked at what he read. 

Gwen sighed as she walked out, holding a tray wrapped in saran wrap, “I’m ready, baby.” 

Absently standing, he picked up Shen in his car seat, still reading the letters as they walked towards the car. Gwen cocked a brow at him and must have decided to drive since he was distracted after getting the babies snapped in. Driving towards Yagami Koji’s house he continued to read in the passenger seat before he bit his lip. Really? Like, really? 

Arriving at the house, he grabbed one of the babies, pondering anxiously. Gwen frowned when they walked in though. Kyo finally started to pay attention and blanked. “Uh, lights?” 

Carrie walked in, “Had a power surge. Guy should be here in a few.” 

She took Ai and Shen, cooing to them, “Hey, niece, nephew. Oh, I wish I could take care of you guys but I have enough kids on my own.” 

Kyo snickered and walked into the living room where a bunch of candles were lit, Koji sitting on the table, tossing a sushi roll into his mouth, looking disgruntled. 

“I’m _so_ bored.” 

Nelly snorted, “The lights going off in the castle? Seems kind of weird.” 

“It rarely happens” Koji agreed, “Not in all the years we’ve lived here.” 

Carrie laughed, standing behind Takeru who was strumming his guitar, “Well, stuff happens.” 

“You two are entertainers. Entertain.” 

Takeru grinned, “Any requests?” 

“Surprise us” Nelly replied, eating a cookie. 

Both Takeru and Carrie went into a full rendition of The Police's _Roxanne_. As always, it was pretty on par with studio sounding music. 

“Jesus, I haven’t heard that song in _forever_ ” Nelly said wide-eyed. 

“I know, right?” Koji laughed some, shaking his head. 

Kyo smirked. Well, it was kind of ironic. Rubbing his face, he frowned. It wasn’t really like he had any business interfering. In fact, it was forbidden. 

Didn’t mean he didn’t find it troubling. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kyo yawned as he rocked Shen to sleep. 4 a.m. He looked down at the infant who wasn’t really feeling the idea of going to sleep. “People are _usually_ asleep at this time, Shen.” 

Shen just stared at him and he groaned, resting the back of his head against the couch, ‘fwooing’. Closing his eyes, he felt like maybe he could bring this up to his wife. Course, she’d still probably kill him. 

He frowned as footsteps came down the stairs. Scowling as his wife came in, rubbing her eyes, she crashed down on the couch beside him. 

“Shen’s still awake?” she asked, her voice dry. 

Kyo nodded, “Go back to bed, I have this under control. He probably just misses his mommy.” 

Gwen rested her ear on his shoulder, closing her eyes, “Mm, Hotaru does spoil him rotten. Do you still want kids now?” 

“Maybe” he shrugged. 

“Mm…” she murmured, her brows tweaking. 

“So uh, remember those letters and paperwork Matt brought?” he asked casually. 

She nodded and he glanced out the near window into the twilight. “Uh, well, one was from the committee who said they cleared out and vaccinated everyone for the virus.” 

Gwen opened her eyes to gaze at him, her brows creasing, and he continued absently, “They let the villagers kind of vote on who they’d accept back now and, uh, apparently I’m on that list.” 

“…But you don’t _have_ to, right?” she said, the fear evident in her voice. 

He shook his head with a deep scowl and she sat up, growing a tad irritated, “You _want_ to though, don’t you?” 

“Ugh, Gwen, the anthropologist side of me says ‘definitely’ but your husband says ‘don’t do anything like that ever again, fool’.” 

Gwen leered at her knees and mumbled, “Whatever.” 

Kyo rolled his eyes, “Gwen, seriously, I wouldn’t even consider it if it weren’t for the letter Mama Consuela sent.” 

“Mama Consuela? The one that kind of adopted you?” she blinked. 

“Yea” he mumbled, “Some guy came through the village and is apparently tyrannizing the women. He’s a big official in the main village. Apparently he has the power to take Mama Consuela’s land and house if she doesn’t give him what he wants.” 

Gwen scowled, “And what does he want?” 

“Her sixteen and seventeen year old daughters.” 

Gwen stiffened and he muttered, “The guy takes girls from the villages and sends them to different bigger cities in South America to be prostitutes.” 

“What?! Can’t they fight this?! And why aren’t the mothers fighting?! What about the fathers?!” she demanded loudly. 

Kyo shushed her, smoothing Shen’s brow as he started to look fussy, “Gwen, it’s a different world there. In the village itself, some fathers would actually send their daughters away _without_ this main guy anyway.” 

“That’s bull.” 

She was quite disgruntled about it and he sighed, “They did pass an amendment and stuff. And prostitution is highly illegal there. If you get caught, it’s quite a hefty sentence and actually a fine that the officials demand someone pay or they’ll be confined too.” 

“Someone? Like the family?” she frowned. 

He nodded, “And they’re apparently too advanced to let the family disown the daughter or whatever. They’ll find you. A lot of people in the other villages are homeless as a result. It’s just a matter of time before Mama Consuela’s village gets hit.” 

Gwen frowned deeper, shaking her head, “Do the communities know about this?” 

“Nope, it’s pretty much something me and the other anthropologists discovered.” 

She scowled, “This is crap. Those women need to stand up for themselves and their families shouldn’t need a damn _fine_ to scare them straight.” 

He sighed and she crossed her arms, “You need to speak at this convention.” 

Kyo cocked a brow, “Uh, wha?” 

“Spread the word that this needs to be stopped!” 

Rubbing his forehead, he blanked, “What about our anniversary?” 

“We’ll celebrate after you get back” she assured, kissing his lips, “This is important. Those teenage girls are getting forced to be hookers. I won’t stand for it!” 

He smirked a little, “I haven’t seen you gung-ho like this in a while. Did you go see your sensei or something?” 

Gwen grimaced, “Not yet. I’m sure she’s confused about why I took two semesters of online courses though.” 

Suddenly she looked giddy, “But one more class, Kyo, and I graduate!” 

“Awesome!” he gasped, wrapping his arms around her, “We’ll celebrate!” 

“Once the course is over” she assured, snuggling into his side, “But tomorrow, I want you to call Matt and tell him that you’re going to do these seminars.” 

“Okay…” he sighed a little, “You’re a fickle woman, Gwen, but a good one. I love you.” 

“I love you too” she murmured, dozing off. 

Shen had finally fallen asleep and he smiled down at the both of them. This definitely felt like the start of something new, oddly enough. 

XXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Woman, what is with you letting your hubby run off?” 

“Well, at least he’s in Japan this time” Gwen sighed as she glanced at a pair of heels. 

Yagami Roomi snorted, Hoshiko looking sleepy, “You know, I could _still_ kill Julius. We have _two_ babies now! Two!” 

“You” Roomi pointed, “ _You_ need to learn how to wear a condom if you aren’t ready for more babies!” 

It was one of the more random occurrences amongst Gwen's pregnancy but Hoshiko had ended up pregnant too and now, she was set with her own newborn. 

Hoshiko pouted, “I didn’t know!” 

“Oh God.” 

Yukina Kaede laughed, “Don’t worry, Hoshiko. I did the same thing with Sachiko and Skye. It’s a bit of a hassle them being that close together but it’ll be fine.” 

“I hope so” she groaned. 

“And Jyun took it better!” Roomi said brightly. 

Hoshiko snorted, “Yea, him and Kyo only shoved him over this time.” 

Roomi smirked, “He still really likes Miyako though.” 

Hoshiko sighed and Gwen absently stroked her chin, “What do you think of these? I really like the heels.” 

Roomi grunted, “Yea, you’re 5’8”, you don’t need freakin’ heels.” 

“They’re only three inches!” 

Kaede chuckled, “You’d be as tall as your husband.” 

Gwen sighed, “I like them though.” 

Grabbing them to try them on, she blinked as she got a text. Opening it, she smiled some. ‘heyyy! i think i could totally be a teacher and i’d be the sweetest one eva! but anyway, I want you to meet me at this restaurant near the hilton in osaka. think u can pull it?’ 

Gwen frowned. Osaka? Texting him back ‘when?’, she stood. Roomi glared up at her. “I’d say no.” 

She laughed, “I think Kyo’s a little taller than 5’11”.” 

Her phone buzzed again and she grunted, “Kyo wants me to go to Osaka _today_ to meet him at the Hilton.” 

“Oh baby” joked Roomi. 

Gwen flushed, “You think…?” 

“It is your anniversary” Kaede said teasingly, “You should go though! And we should pick out something for you to wear.” 

“Bleh, not me” Hoshiko said, looking disgusted, “I’ve had enough bad experiences with my brother’s sex lives without me getting slightly involved, thanks.” 

Roomi laughed, “Don’t be silly, Hosh. Come on, Gwen! Victoria Secret!” 

Hoshiko groaned as she was dragged and Gwen blushed. Really? She hadn’t actually bought lingerie for Kyo. And she was going to meet him in a hotel? Really? 

In two days she started school again so maybe he saw this as their only opportunity. And well, she wouldn’t mind. Things were so nuts lately after and along with the pregnancy thing, Kyo getting all depressed over her fake death, and this whole seminar business, it felt like they hadn’t spent any time together. 

Little did she know that was going to take an extreme turn. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“It’s amazing work, Yagami, amazing. That village is one of the ones we had the hardest times learning about and you seemed to have adapted well” said one of the anthropologists, sipping Chardonnay. 

Kyo frowned, tapping his fingers on the table, “Yea, they're really good people. You think we can bring some awareness about this prostitution thing or does it violate the codes?” 

Another woman shook her head, “I think it’s perfectly legitimate to _warn_ them, honestly. There’s no guarantee they’d actually _listen_ but I think that it’s better than not warning them.” 

An elderly fellow grunted, “It has to be done cautiously, nevertheless.” 

Kyo pursed his lips. Well, this had been an exciting experience. He spoke to the masses of the anthropology world about his discoveries. He spoke of their religion, their culture, their customs, their architecture. As Matt said, they had been very curious about what he had to say. 

And they wanted more. 

“Surely as you’ve been one of the few accepted back you’re going to go, correct?” the woman asked. 

He laughed slowly, tugging his ear nervously, “Uh, my wife’s not exactly feeling the idea.” 

The man looked disgruntled, “But she has to see the importance of this culture if not informing them of the prostitution issues.” 

Scratching the side of his face, Kyo shrugged, “She does, but…” 

He glanced towards the entrance periodically. He missed her. The desire to go to South America was torn between the part of him that loved exploring, loved learning new things and the part that wanted no part of it, that wanted to stay here with his wife and family forever. It wasn’t an easy choice but he supposed it wasn’t supposed to be. 

“The life of an anthropologist is lonely” the elderly man spoke with vivacity. 

“Truly…” Kyo echoed absently. 

He really hadn’t been prepared for that portion. He guessed when he ran off in his youth it wasn’t as bad because he knew he could come back when he wanted. Actually doing this for a career, he loved it, but it was a lot different. He was kind of contracted unless otherwise noticed to stay for six months to a year. Not to mention now he had Gwen too. And now he had plans that would just deepen that bond they had. He didn’t know what to do. 

The man blinked back at the entrance to the bar, wide-eyed, “Wow.” 

Kyo cocked a brow at him and looked up… 

_Wow_ . 

Gwen was frowning, hugging her arms as she wandered in, looking around cautiously. But what she was wearing… 

It was black, lacey, strapless maybe, showing off a lot of cleavage and the dress was high on her legs. She was wearing heels, making her look impossibly tall. He'd been a bit appalled when she started losing weight a little too fast after the pregnancy. Of course, she went back to her normal diet of not eating much of anything along with yoga and he supposed that was no issue. Thing was, she looked absolutely gorgeous and she was showing it off to everyone again. Well, at least she had a coat on. 

“Who’s that, I wonder…” the man continued. 

Kyo snorted, standing, “ _That’s_ my wife.” 

Not staying for any commentary on that face, he walked towards his wife and she caught sight of him. Flustering, she grumbled. “Roomi.” 

“I figured” he snorted, hugging her waist, “Because you wouldn’t have made it out of the house in this. I would have screwed the hell out of you first.” 

She blushed more, punching his arm, “Shut up!” 

Chuckling, he gave her a kiss on the lips faintly, “I missed you.” 

Gwen hugged his neck, “I missed you too.” 

“I don’t know how I feel about the heels, you’re kind of making me feel short” he remarked, noting she was pretty much staring him in the face. 

“You’re still taller than me!” 

“Not by much” he snorted before glancing at the host of the hotel restaurant, “Can you get her seated? I’ll be joining her in a moment.” 

The host nodded, giving him a bit of an evil eye. Damn straight his wife was hot. Bite me. Kyo snickered at his inner thoughts and wandered back over to the group, smiling some, “I’m sorry about that. It’s our anniversary and I missed it to do this.” 

The woman snickered, “You have a good one then. I’d kill my husband first.” 

The other guy just looked jealous and the elderly fellow snorted, “You need to think about this, Yagami-san. This is important for a whole people.” 

He grimaced and nodded with a faint smile, “I will. And I’ll talk it over with my wife. It’s been great and I thank you for inviting me.” 

Bowing, he meandered back to Gwen, sitting across from her with a smile, on the balcony, “How have things been going?” 

“Pretty good” she said, “The girls took me ‘school shopping’ today.” 

Kyo sighed, “One more class.” 

“One more” she agreed with a sigh herself, “I can’t wait.” 

Reaching out, he rubbed her hand and kissed her lovingly, “Thanks for telling me to come though. I’ve had a blast and it’s been really insightful. Thing is, everyone really does want me to go back to go throughout the communities and inform the villages of this law.” 

“Understandably” Gwen said quietly, “But couldn’t someone else?” 

“Only me and two other guys have been accepted back and they’ve already headed back over to South America” he said with a groan. 

Gwen bowed her head, gazing at the candle, “I hate to be selfish, Kyo…” 

“I know” he said faintly, stroking her cheek. 

Ordering a bottle of Zinfandel, he smiled at her, “Enough of that. We’ll talk about it when we go home tomorrow. Tonight we’re celebrating.” 

Gwen looked surprised as he pushed a box across the table, “Happy Anniversary.” 

Swallowing, she scowled, “I-I didn’t buy you a gift…” 

“I don’t need one” he assured. 

“Still!” 

Sighing, scolding and telling herself to buy one tomorrow, she ripped the paper and gaped a bit. A…ring?” 

Kyo grinned lazily, resting his chin in his palms, “Marry me?” 

Gwen stuck out her tongue, “We’re already married, baka.” 

“True. But see that ring? That’s real.” 

It was pretty, she thought, gazing at it. “It’s conflict-free?” 

“Duh. I’m not an asshole despite popular belief.” 

Gwen smirked at him and put it on her finger over the fake one, “So what does this mean? We’re further married?” 

He took her hands, bringing them both to his lips, “Well, I was thinking it could mean we’re going to have the wedding and think about moving into another house.” 

Very startled, she gaped at him, “What’s wrong with our house now?” 

“Nothing” he laughed warmly, “Just your parents bought it for us. I think it’s time we grew up.” 

She tilted her head in thought before smiling, “Okay. I want one with enough land for Yuri and Baron.” 

“Sounds like a plan” he agreed. 

Pursing her lips, cocking a brow, “And a wedding?” 

“Of course. A little bit better than us going to a courthouse and getting some papers, I think.” 

Her nose wrinkled, “We’d have a different anniversary.” 

“We’ll celebrate both days” he said absently, gazing at the menu. 

Gwen did the same and felt her heart flutter, “I, uh, always wanted to get married by the beach but I don’t want to copy Michi.” 

He snickered, “And a good million brides that have gotten married on the beach? I think it’d be awesome.” 

Sulking, closing the menu after deciding what she was going to order, she demanded, “Are you just going to humor me on this whole thing?” 

“Can I wear a kilt?” 

“Hell no!” 

Kyo laughed, “Then yes, wife, yes I am.” 

She smirked at him and shook her head, pausing to order, before crossing her arms, biting her lips, “I…I can’t choose between my friends.” 

“For the maid of honor?” he questioned before shrugging, “Let them decide if you can’t.” 

Gwen sighed, dropping her chin into her hands as they waited, “…You think my mother would come?” 

“Maybe. Might help us bridge some things.” 

Sipping her wine, she smiled lightly, “So, uh, we can work on the wedding later too. But what about tonight?” 

He winked at her, “You’ll see.” 

Flustering, she frowned after a moment before glancing ahead of her after seeing a flash. Not able to locate it, she just shrugged. Whatever. 

‘Whatever’, indeed. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Gwen ‘mm’d’ as she heard a knock on the front door. Kyo was wrapped around her, his muscular arms holding her waist, his face buried in the back of her neck. They did mess around in his hotel room for a while but he'd teased that he missed their bed so they headed home around midnight. Well, it was nice being able to cuddle in bed with him without worrying about a checkout date. 

Scowling, wanting to kill the person that was interrupting though, she started to get up. However, Kyo yawned loudly and pushed her back down gently, kissing her shoulder. 

“Stay here, baby, I’ll get it.” 

She frowned as he stood, grabbing the nearest pair of pants and shirt, rubbing his eyes. It was about eight in the morning, she thought groggily. And on a Sunday too? That was like the only day no one just stopped in randomly. Or at least stopped in randomly at 8 a.m. 

Shaking her head, pulling on one of the sundresses that Roomi made her buy yesterday, she followed after him regardless. Her parents, before her mother decided to hate her, used to drop in this early. Maybe she just hoped. She paused at the entry and stared down. 

Her heart jumped into her throat. 

“Is Gwen here?” asked Tomei-sensei, brisk and icy. 

She bit her lip, hiding in the stairwell. No! If she found out now, it’d be all down the drain! All of the schooling, all of it! One more class from graduating and-and… Her heart was throbbing uncontrollably and she was trembling. Why was she here anyway?! No! And oh, if Kyo said ‘yes’, it’d be over. Over! 

Fighting screaming, she watched her husband. Oh God, Kyo had loathed her the minute Gwen first spoke of her. What would he say? Hell, did he recognize her?! This was going to blow up in her face, she laughed crazily in her head. 

“…Gwen? Doesn’t ring a bell.” 

…What? 

Tomei-sensei looked at him in an unimpressed manner, “Really?” 

“No, I don’t know any Gwen. Sorry.” 

… 

“I wouldn’t expect a man to tell the truth” the woman grunted meanly, suddenly holding up her phone, “This young woman you happen to be with.” 

Gwen’s eyes widened. That…that flash at the Hilton…it…it couldn’t have… 

“A student of mine was at the hotel with her partner and saw you with her. This is Gwen. Does it ring a bell now?” the woman asked caustically. 

Kyo apparently opened his mouth but Tomei-sensei interrupted, “I found it funny that the address Gwen wrote down no longer belongs to her if it ever did and that when I looked for a Gwen Douglas, I didn’t turn one up. But I certainly turned up a ‘Gwen Yagami’ and that she’s somehow _married_. Really strange, actually.” 

Gwen pursed her lips and Kyo didn’t seemed perturbed, “Look lady, I am a Yagami but I don’t really know this person so you have the wrong man.” 

… 

“This is exactly why” she snorted loudly, as if she knew Gwen was there, “All of it’s a lie and that’s all men do: _lie_. I want to believe that one of my best students wouldn’t somehow get involved with you or any man. You’re all the same.” 

Kyo didn’t say much except, “I stand by what I say.” 

The woman looked angry, “Oh, I see now. You must have _tempted_ her, right?” 

“Come again?” 

“You probably seduced her, lied to her and forced her into some perverted sexual tryst relationship that she wanted no part in. She hasn’t been to class in nearly a year so I can only imagine her will’s been weakened. I won’t stand for it!” 

Kyo snorted, “Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s early and I want to go back to bed.” 

“So you’d actually deny her even though there are papers proving you’re married to her? Is that it?” 

Gwen gaped. It was a weird feeling but she didn’t know what she wanted the answer to be. 

“…If…if I _was_ married to her…I…” Kyo broke off weakly. He couldn’t lie against that. And she knew he didn’t want to. It hadn’t been easy for him when she pretended she had no knowledge of his existence at school and it wasn’t any easier for him to turn the tables. He didn’t want to. But he was, to protect her. 

…She couldn’t stand it. 

“Tomei-sensei!” 

Kyo’s shoulders stiffened and the woman glared as Gwen rushed down the steps, horrified, “Please stop! Kyo isn’t _like_ that!” 

“Gwen…” he groaned heavily, dropping his head. 

She quickly forced herself between him and her long-time teacher, leveling the woman with a serious look. Tomei-sensei just looked highly disappointed. 

“I can’t believe you, Gwen. Did you stop taking actual courses because of guilt? That you’d betray all that I’ve taught you and actually marry a _man?_ ” 

“And I’d do it again!” Gwen blurted, “K-Kyo’s not _like_ the men you talk about! I’ve known him for a long time now and I’ve-I’ve accepted him as my husband!” 

“Your husband that just denied you a few moments ago?” she spat sarcastically. 

Gwen’s eyes narrowed, “He was protecting me. You have a reputation of kicking people out of your program for things that aren’t any of your business!” 

Tomei-sensei recoiled before hissing, “My students _live_ the values _I_ teach. And if you can’t do that then I suppose my reputation precedes me.” 

Gwen’s heart absolutely sank as she gaped. Kyo growled, “Gwen has _one_ class left. _One_. You have no right to do anything of the sort! Not to mention it violates college rules anyway! You have to have a _good_ reason to kick Gwen out, not because she ‘violates’ your damn ideology!” 

Tomei-sensei pinned him with a heart-stopping glare, “I can do anything I want. Consider your days at the university done, Ms. _Yagami_.” 

The woman stalked out without another word and Kyo gritted his teeth. What a f—king _bitch_. Slamming the door loudly, he seethed for a moment before turning to his wife. He grimaced when he found her in tears. 

“T-that’s it. That’s all there is to it. My goals, my dreams, my efforts? They’re all done. Just like that” she sobbed, rubbing her eyes. 

“Why’d you do that?” he said, exasperated, “I mean, you could have at least contested that the papers got mixed up or something and that there was _another_ Gwen Yagami. It might not have worked but…” 

She shivered, her purple eyes glittery, “I didn’t like being denied either.” 

Kyo gaped a little before looking miserable, “I didn’t like denying you but-but I knew how important this was to you. And either way, I did a really poor job at it.” 

Gwen pressed her face to his chest and rasped, “What am I going to do?” 

“We’ll think of something, baby, I promise” he whispered, closing his eyes before asking faintly, “Do you really mean that, after this? That you’d do it again if we could go back to when we first met?” 

For as much as she thrived to be a social worker, someone to help those that needed it, she thought of all that had happened. Had she stayed that Gwen Douglas, her heart would have been closed to a whole half of the population she thought she was trying to help. There were plenty of single fathers out there that needed assistance but what would she have said to them? 'Oh, you chased the mother of your child away' or 'you must've been abusive' like it was entirely impossible the woman left of her own accord. She would have been so single minded. 

Now? Now she was open to everyone, to everything. She was friends with her cousins now. She was her grandfather’s Lovely. She felt an unconditional love from everyone around her, family that weren't even bonded to her by love, something she had only felt glimpses of in California and before she met Kyo. She was someone’s wife. And those things made her happier than anything ever had. 

“I wouldn’t change a thing” she murmured, clenching him tightly. 

And Tomei-sensei could take her goals away but she’d never take those accomplishments away from her. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Damn…” 

Kyo gazed absently out the window of the café, Matt sipping a latte, “I did warn you though. That c—t does s—t like that.” 

Kyo shook his head, “And one of Gwen’s stupid classmates actually was the one that ratted her out! Took a picture of us at the hotel and sent it to their teacher. I mean, if I caught that little snitch, I’d bitch smack her.” 

Matt suddenly smirked, “Wow, do you know that we’ve managed to degrade women in our comments in the last second? C—ts and bitch smacking?” 

Kyo smirked a bit himself, rubbing the side of his face, “I guess she’s not completely wrong. We definitely could learn some respect.” 

His teacher just sighed and rested his chin on top of his hands, “I don’t know what to tell you. How does Gwen feel?” 

“Absolutely miserable” Kyo grumbled. 

Matt sat up suddenly, his eyes widening as if he’d had a revelation. Kyo cocked a brow. “I see wheels turning. What’s up?” 

“There is one completely unrelated course that is a Women’s Studies class that has nothing to do with Tomei-sensei.” 

Kyo definitely perked, gawking, “Really? What is it?” 

Matt sighed a little, “It was a program that one of my predecessors launched before handing it off to me. It’s like a core group of women that go over and help mothers and women in smaller villages like the one you went to. They help them learn some things that we’ve come to recognize as crimes and taking stands against it. It’s not like _changing_ the culture, just teaching them, I suppose, about the steps that women have taken to equality and possibly instructing men on taking those things and implementing them.” 

Kyo frowned before nodding a little, “I see. But that’s a work-study program, right?” 

Matt nodded and Kyo rubbed his head, “That’s…that’s a little weird. I wouldn’t feel comfortable, I don’t think. If I’m off in South America and she’s off in some country too, it’d just be weird!” 

The man grinned lazily, “And it’s a two year program.” 

“What the hell!? Two years?!” Kyo demanded incredulously, “Is she going to reform the whole damn government while she’s there?!” 

“Don’t be silly” Matt laughed, “It’s like a fifteen credit program and to kill enrollment, since Tomei-sensei raised a huge fuss over some unrelated group creating a course in her beloved World Studies, the dean amped it up to two years. Nobody’s taken it in at least seven years.” 

“No kidding” Kyo snickered. 

“There is a halfway point” he noted, “Where you take a three month break from the location. It’s also optional so if you skip that, you can be out of it three months early too.” 

Kyo sighed, eating his cake, “I’m sorry, my baby can’t be away for two years.” 

“You could at least _ask_ her.” 

Kyo grimaced at the idea before something struck him, “…But hey, where’s the location?” 

“Usually in places like Africa, Mexico. Wherever they’ll let us sponsor” he shrugged simply. 

The light bulbs started blinking and glowing in his head as well as Kyo’s smile grew, “…What about South America?” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“…Librarian” Gwen mumbled sadly as she gazed at the newspaper, attempting to find herself a reasonable job now that she had nothing else to do. 

The past five days had been awful. Hate messages from former classmates, learning that she’d apparently become a topic of disgust in the classroom, a point of warning for Tomei’s lessons. She told her father and the man threatened to sue, not that it’d do any good. Tomei-sensei had apparently been sued several times, as she learned from a Facebook group she joined out of misery titled ‘Tomei-sensei hates me’, but all of them had been dropped. She was a devil. 

Eyes watering, she stared up when Kyo meandered in. He’d been really supportive. Really. She sighed miserably. But this still hurt. A lot. 

“Turn that frown upside down!” Kyo said in an overly cheery cheesy tone, “I found something for you!” 

Gwen stared at him blankly as he skipped over, slamming down beside her, and handing her a slip of paper. Frowning, she glanced over it before her brows creased. “…A work-study program?” 

Kyo nodded and she frowned more, reading the course description. It…it was a Women’s Studies accredited course. Weird, Tomei never spoke of it. But it was 15 credits! She’d have an overload! Her spirits started to spike. 

Then she saw the length of course. 

“Two _what_?” 

“Years” Kyo sighed. 

She gaped at him, “Kyo! There’s no way in hell I’m going away for two _years_! Why the hell would you even bring this to me when you know I wouldn’t do something like that?” 

“Ah, calm down, calm down” Kyo quickly held up his hands before clearing his throat, “Matt may be able to get the course laid down in South America.” 

“And that makes a difference?” she demanded coolly, standing and starting to stalk towards the kitchen. 

Kyo gazed after her before turning around on the couch, blinking, “Doesn’t it?” 

“Does it?” she countered, needing to cut something. So close and yet so far. Damn it! 

He glanced at his nails absently, “They want me to go back to South America.” 

She opened her mouth to bark something negative at him, cutting a carrot spiritedly before faltering. Staring at him, wide-eyed, she opened her mouth to say something. 

“…Huh?” 

He just tilted his head and she put the knife down, wandering back towards the living room with her hands in her pockets, giving him a look. “…They want you to go back to South America and I can get the last credits I _need_ in South America.” 

“Possibly. That’s still in the works but Matt seems to think it’s very possible” Kyo amended. 

Gwen nibbled on her fingernail, feeling oddly perplexed, “…We’d be in the same place?” 

“Yea!” he said excitedly, “We could live together and everything. And you can help the women by attempting to stop all the prostitution problems and stuff! Amongst other things, of course.” 

Gwen bit her lip, admitting that the idea seemed a little less unpalatable now. “Two years still is a long time, Kyo.” 

“Really it’s like a year and nine months, y’know? We can either take three months off to come home and visit or we can stay the whole time and wrap it up in 21 months.” 

She sat back down beside him, “It’s...it’s really kind of primitive there, isn’t it?” 

“Well, there is no running water and you have to boil water to bathe and stuff. And you do get to send for supplies that they send down from the bigger cities but that only comes once a month. And no electronics but other than that, it’s just living.” 

“No running water…” 

“Oh c’mon, I did it for almost a year, you can too” he hedged. 

Gwen sulked, “Can I order birth control?” 

“…I don’t think so” he cocked a brow, “I think we’d have to go to condoms.” 

“How is garbage handled?” 

“Someone brought in these kind of cubes that crush all our waste and created some means to make them more biodegradable somehow. It was pretty neat.” 

Gwen frowned and rubbed her brow, “…It sounds interesting.” 

He kissed her temple, “Just think about it, okay?” 

She nodded softly and they kissed. Two years in South America with Kyo. 

Yep, that definitely was a change. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Shimizu Hoshiko sighed as Yagami Jyun carried her newest addition, Miyako, around. She was sleeping contently against his shoulder as Jyun pouted at his wife. 

“Are you _sure_ no more babies?” 

Yagami Roomi leered at him and he pouted more, “I mean, you like Kamon, right?” 

Roomi laughed, two-year-old Kamon in her arms, “I _love_ my Kamon! We’ll see though, okay?” 

Hoshiko chuckled and the newborn yawned, snuggling even more into Jyun’s body. She cooed, “She likes you.” 

“I’m just a likable guy” he sighed teasingly, kissing her temple, “My little niece...” 

Yagami Nelly meandered in, grunting, “Hey, give me my grandbaby. You’ve been holding her all night.” 

Jyun stuck out his tongue but sighed, handing her over, “Where’s Kyo?” 

“Got me” murmured Nelly, kissing the baby’s downy head. 

But Kyo wandered in, humming, Gwen by his side, reading a booklet deeply. He gasped, “Ah! The baby!” 

Hoshiko smirked as he took Miyako from a disgruntled Nelly, “Guys, I do still have Kaori.” 

“She’s not fresh” Kyo pouted, kissing his little niece lovingly. 

Hoshiko sighed and petted Kaori’s head, “It’s okay, baby. Mama still loves you.” 

Jyun laughed, taking Kaori from her, “Well, I still like Kaori.” 

Gwen frowned, shaking her head, “Kyo, what is the point of me passing this test?” 

“Can’t just roll over to another country repping Japan all willy nilly, babes.” 

Gwen pouted some and Roomi scowled, “You guys are _nuts_. Two years? Two. Really, two?” 

“One year and nine months” Kyo amended in a reasonable tone. 

“You know what you can accomplish in that time? Two babies!” 

Kyo chuckled, shrugging, “Yea, but we get paid for this and Gwen gets her diploma. I think those are accomplishments.” 

Roomi just looked disgruntled and Jyun shrugged some, “We'd miss you, I guess. What do you say, old man?” 

“I'm going to have to agree with Roomi” Nelly grunted, “What is it with my stupid sons?” 

Jyun looked tart, “You'll never let me live that down, will you?” 

“Not in this lifetime.” 

Jyun pursed his lips and Roomi just sighed, “Either way, two years is a long time, dears. I mean, it'd be just as easy for you to transfer, Gwen.” 

Gwen nodded glumly, “But I checked all schools in this area and in Japan. Only some of my credits carry over since it's a specialized school. I'd be going to those places for two years or _more._ ” 

“And it'd be an experience” Kyo said simply, “Changing schools isn't any fun.” 

They all just sighed and Kyo suddenly grinned lazily, “Anyway, we have good news, regardless. Show 'em, baby.” 

Gwen looked puzzled for a moment before 'oh'ing' and shyly lifting her hand. They all blinked and stared at her hand. Roomi gasped, taking her hand to get a closer look. “Oh! That's so pretty!” 

Kyo smiled as Yagami Dana walked in, peeking at the ring before propping her hands on her waist, “I hope that means there will be a _wedding_ this time?” 

“Actually, it does” he laughed, hugging his grandmother's shoulders. 

“Ah! Really?!” 

Nelly cocked a brow, seeming pretty amazed, “Wow. I would have never thought.” 

Roomi and Hoshiko squealed, hugging Gwen's shoulders, “This is so great, sweetie!”   
  


“Thanks” Gwen smiled softly. 

“So we're going to probably try to do that before we go if Gwen passes the test. Which I have all the confidence that she will” Kyo winked at her as she gave him a brief glower, “Nice little memory for our departure.” 

“That's kind of exciting, actually” Roomi remarked, stroking her chin. 

Jyun nodded slowly and sighed, “Well, I guess if you guys had to put up with me being away for a couple years randomly, we can for you two too.” 

“Sweet!” 

Dana clapped, delighted, “Well, let's make an amazing wedding then!” 

Gwen nodded and stood, having forgotten to text her friends or inform them. And her parents. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _...Eh?”_

_Gwen stared at the picture that Dana had said had inspired her dress, mortified. It was like an old 'we're moving west to the frontier' type of dress fit with frills and a corset and cream colored so not her at all?_

_Dana looked happy though, folding the book back up, “It's gorgeous! Come see it and tell me what you think.”_

_Okay, her wedding may be ruined because there was no way she was going to like anything so old-fashioned looking. At the same time there was no way in hell she was telling Yagada that she didn't like her design. Ugh, traditions._

_Following her husband's grandmother into the room, she actually walked past where Dana stopped, looking around for the dress. Dana laughed, grabbing her arm. “Over here, dear.”_

_Gah, blonde moment, she thought with a blush and smiled sheepishly as she came front and center. She gasped._

_It was still cream colored but it lacked the frills except around the bust. It had slouching shoulders and maintained the corset, the bottom billowing out. Dana sighed, her chin propped in her hand as she mused._

“ _Honestly, I was really reluctant with this design. That frilly part doesn't seem like something you'd wear.”_

“ _N-no!” Gwen rasped, her breath taken away, “I-it's so pretty...”_

“ _Let's try it on then” Dana clapped, delighted._

_Gwen nodded quickly and slid the dress on, Dana lacing the back for her. Lifting the hem to walk to the mirror, she was enraptured. “Oh...”_

_Dana was working around her, pins and thread in her mouth as she got very minor imperfections out of it to fit her. Gwen smiled as she took out her cell phone, snapping a picture through the mirror and sending it to the girls. And her sister, father, and mother._

_Stepping out of it, gushing to Dana that she was actually really happy with it, she got some texts back._

_Shelly said 'i really hate you and ur yagada dress! but omg, ur going to b so pretty!! i cant wait! what r u doing with ur hair?'_

_Michelle wrote, 'OMG, i LOVE it!! i should send that 2 my mom and show how 'badly' ur doing with ur custom designed yagada. love u and cant wait to see u and kyo!'_

_Rachel replied, 'plain and simple: effin gorgeous! our gwen is growing up! c u soon!'_

_Finally of the crew, Marissa responded: 'ur going to make an amazing bride, babe! I cant think of any 2 ppl who deserve it more! i love both of u and looking fwd 2 flying in!'_

_Gwen smiled and responded to them with 'thanks' and that she couldn't wait to see them either and Shelly with a 'not sure yet'. Sitting and choosing her bridesmaid gowns from the catalog, she frowned when she got two texts: One from her sister and from her dad._

_Her sister was pretty curt: 'cute'_

_Gwen rolled her eyes and opened her dad's. Her brows creased._

_'have you really thought this over?'_

_...What?_

“I stopped an old man along the way hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies! He turned to me as if to say, 'hurry boy, it's waiting there for you!'” 

“It's going to take a lot to drag me away from you! There's nothing a hundred men or more could ever do! I bless the rains down in Africa! Gonna take some time to do the things we never have!” . 

Kyo's eyes widened, gawking, “What?” 

Nelly had only dropped in for a moment, but laughed, taking a quick shot as he stood, “No lie, that was your absolute favorite song as a child.” 

“What the f—k is that even supposed to mean?!” he demanded. 

Izumi Takeru laughed, Rachel sitting on his lap, beside herself, “I will say a lot of those lyrics kind of didn't click...” 

Yukina Sharron, Steiner's little sister, cocked a brow as Rachel was in tears and near hysterics at the proximity of her favorite singer, incredulous, “...He's _so_ not that special.” 

“Oi woman, I'm a rock star! I have people fainting at my concerts!” Takeru boasted haughtily. 

Sharron rolled her eyes and sighed. Gwen couldn't help laugh as her soon to be further husband just continued to look confused and perplexed by his favorite childhood song. This was their party. They decided after the debacle with Roomi's bachelorette party they'd just play it safe and have a shindig together at a karaoke bar. Kissing him on the cheek, she glanced at her sister who was actually chatting with some of Kyo's cousins contently. Sara had been shocked when Gwen told her she was a bridesmaid. Duh though, she was her sister no matter how much she bugged the hell out of her. Of course, her parents hadn't shown up. 

...They probably weren't going to either. 

Glum, she gasped as Kyo hugged her to his side, kissing her temple. Shelly sighed, playing with a strand of amber hair, shaking her head, “So what's going on with this South America thing again? I mean, really, two years?” 

“I know” grunted Michelle, “How are we going to keep in touch?” 

“Well, we can snail mail” Gwen smiled faintly. 

She'd passed the test and within a few weeks, they'd be leaving. She was horrified and utterly excited. 

Marissa just sighed, “I guess that's something. Promise me you guys will be safe?” 

“Of course! I did it for almost a year, it's perfectly safe or I wouldn't advise it to anyone, especially my baby” Kyo assured. 

Sara snorted, “Gwen sucked at camping behind our house though. Winging it for two years?” 

Gwen sulked at her younger sister, “Of course it'll suck at first but I'd have to get used to it!” 

The younger shrugged and Gwen leered at her, “So where are our parents?” 

“They said they'd be here the day of the wedding” Sara assured, “Even mom.” 

That actually relieved Gwen a lot and she nodded with a smile, lifting her glass, “Anyway, let's celebrate!” 

“Hells yes!” agreed Kyo. 

Everyone cheered and Gwen looked to Kyo who was speaking excitedly to his brother and sister about the new house and the wedding. Everything was great. 

...But that text from her dad? It still honestly bothered her. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Wow! You look like a princess!” gasped Emma, wearing a pretty white dress, their flower girl along with Fujiwako. 

Gwen blushed as Shelly went at her hair, pulling it up in an updo, pins in her mouth with other decorations. “I know you're all 'rawr, I hate veils for their symbolism' but that would have been absolutely _gorgeous_.” 

“Thank you, Emma” cooed Gwen before smirking at Shelly, “I wasn't against a veil, per say, I just wasn't going to go out of my way to request one.” 

Shelly just sighed and Michelle did a twirl in the pretty fluttery dress she had, “Oh! This is so exciting! Something about you two and weddings, I tell you.” 

Gwen laughed and stood, Sara even seeming kind of giddy, “Well sis, I can tell you that you _don't_ deserve a guy that hot with how anti-men you were but he's got sexy friends so I can deal.” 

Smirking, Gwen elbowed her, “Glad to hear it.” 

Sara frowned when her phone rang and sighed, “Mom and dad are here.” 

“Great!” Gwen rasped, grabbing the ends of her dress before pausing, “Can you make sure Kyo's not outside?” 

Sara smirked, “Wow, you're superstitious too?” 

“Just check!” she pouted, shoving her sister out of the little tent like thing they had set up on the far corner of the beach. 

Sara sighed and went out for a few before returning, “He's actually not here at all. He's tightening up some other things before the wedding.” 

Gwen nodded and walked out, lifting her dress to not touch the sand, and skipped across to where she saw her parents on the nearby street next to the boardwalk. Oh, thank God! Her mother wasn't being dumb about this! Content, she got closer and smiled, “Dad! Mom!” 

Lane and Kano Douglas looked up and looked...grim? What? Gwen stopped and frowned, looking between them, “...Is something the matter?” 

Lane's hands were in his pockets and he stared at her seriously, “You never did respond to my text.” 

“Because it should be _obvious_ that I've thought about this! Kyo and I have been together for five years!” she snapped, growing irritable. 

“Yes, well, I heard about this 'South America' nonsense too” he snarled, “Tell me _that's_ just a joke.” 

“It's not” Gwen said plainly, all her good feelings fading. 

Kano shook her head and Lane sighed miserably. Before grabbing her arm and throwing her into the nearby car. 

“What are you doing?!” she demanded loudly. 

Sara quickly skipped towards them, startled, “Hey, uh--” 

But she got the same treatment and the car was soon speeding up the side of the road. Gwen screamed, pretty enraged. “Let me the f—k out of here!!” 

Sara just gawked and Gwen gritted her teeth as her parents ignored her. Grabbing the door handle, her sister actually grabbed her arms, pulling her back. 

“Are you nuts!? What are you going to do? Roll and rip your dress to shreds?!” 

Gwen hissed angrily though knowing her sister was absolutely right. If the dress survived at this speed, she might not. “What the hell is wrong with them?!” 

“Looks like we're going to the airport” Sara remarked, looking out the window. 

“What?! Did you know about this, Sara?!” 

“Of course not!” Sara snapped. 

Gwen's heart raced and realized she didn't have her phone on her. She glanced at Sara who looked at her helplessly. “I-I left mine back in the tent too...” 

Tears welled in her eyes as they sped off, horrified and incredulous that her parents would sink this low. And the airport was an hour away over the bridge and her wedding started in twenty minutes. 

...Kyo! 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Yagami Kyo paced the beach madly, blemishing the crystal sand with his footsteps, as Jyun stood there, his eyes wide, his hands behind his back. 

“...I mean, maybe she had to go meet her parents?” he offered. 

“She's the damn bride, she can _send_ people to get her parents!” Kyo snapped irritably before biting his thumb, “Sh-she got cold feet, didn't she?” 

Jyun rolled his eyes, “The woman's put up with you for five years and loves you. I don't think she's going to magically get nervous about it and wander away.” 

“Then where the hell is she?!” 

Nelly and the rest of his uncles rolled up, looking a little confused, “We checked, well, everywhere. No one meandering around in a wedding gown.” 

“This is great” Kyo laughed humorlessly, “Great!” 

Two hours. Yes, that's how long he'd been waiting. Who knew how long he'd have to wait this time. 

God, Gwen should have left him. He was pretty much the reason her schooling had been messed up. They'd...they'd been through so much and if she'd really, really sat down and thought about it, it was better that she did escape. 

...But it still hurt him like hell. This bond...this bond meant nothing too, huh? 

Staring at the sea, he swallowed the burning lump in his throat and whispered, “I'm...I'm going to go sit.” 

Jyun gaped helplessly as he wandered off before shaking his head. Where was she? She was too excited to run off like this, right? 

..Right? 

He glanced behind him and smiled softly as his wife walked across the beach in her pretty blue bridesmaid dress. Getting close to him, she pulled him down to give him a kiss. 

“Hi hubby.” 

“Hey, wifey.” 

She hugged his waist, sighing, “Gwen did not run off.” 

“Where is she then?” 

Roomi shrugged, “Dunno but she'll be back. She loves Kyo-chan. I just wonder what's taken her away.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Let me go!!” 

Lane Douglas was pulling Gwen by the arm through the airport terminals. She thought she'd been okay when they got tied up in traffic then accidentally took a wrong turn. But no! No! 

It had to have been two or three hours. Kyo probably was worried senseless or feared she was a runaway bride. That made her heart ache. Never. Please have faith in her, she pleaded to him from afar. 

Tugging and fighting for all she was worth against her father, she sobbed, “I hate you! I'll have you arrested for kidnapping!!” 

“Gwen, please! You're making a scene!” hissed Kano, people staring at them, bewildered. 

“I don't give a s—t! Let go of me now!! I'm getting damned married and I don't give a f—k if you like it or not!!” she screamed. 

Lane sighed heavily before he threw her over his shoulder. She shrieked, “No!! How could you?! I thought you supported me!! How dare _you_ turn on me too?!” 

“Gwen, we just think you're acting too hastily” Lane growled, “And erratically too! Bearing children, getting kicked out of school, running off to South America? You need to get your life back on track so you'll return to California with us.” 

“Who are you to decide something like that for me?! I bore a child for my family, my _cousin_ , your _nephew_! I got kicked out of school because my teacher was a bitch, doing the exact same thing you're doing now! South America is a new experience that'll help me get my schooling back on track! I don't f—king need your damn intrusions of what you think is best!!” 

Kano looked angry, “It wasn't until Kyo came into the picture that all this nonsense became a part of your life! I regret even beginning to suggest it! If it weren't for him, you'd be sensible and-and--” 

“And what? With Blake, right?” she laughed acerbically, hatefully, “I would have hated all of you still if I hadn't met Kyo. And now as a result of you guys doing this _because_ of Kyo, I'll hate you again!” 

“Enough. It's been decided, Gwen” Lane said simply. 

“No!! You can't make me do anything!!” 

Kano rolled her eyes and glanced over her shoulder, “Sara, did yo--” 

The woman's eyes widened and Gwen hissed before looking up and noting her sister was completely gone. 

“Sara?!” Kano called loudly. 

Lane paused and turned around, stunned, before glancing at their servants, “Go find Sara this minute!” 

They quickly nodded and scattered as Gwen fought sobbing. Why didn't Sara take her with her?! Ugh! 

...Kyo! 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kyo sipped the Merlot and glanced at the afternoon sun still pretty high in the sky. Three and a half hours. Yep... 

Smiling wearily, he shook his head. Well, he guessed this could be a good thing. He could go do more anthropological studies without having to worry about a wife back at home. And... 

The smile melted into sorrow. That didn't begin to be enough, did it? Why, Gwen? 

Giving a faint exhale when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket, he grabbed it and scowled at the number he didn't recognize. Whatever. Clicking send, he rubbed his throbbing temple and mumbled. “Hello?” 

“Kyo!! Oh my God, my parents are nuts!! You have to get here now!!” 

Kyo's brow furrowed at the sound of Sara's frantic voice, “Hey, hey, what's going on? Calm down.” 

Sara was breathing rapidly, her swallows audible as if she'd had to sprint and run for all her body was worth, “M-m-mom! And-and daddy, th-they came to the beach and-and we thought they were coming to the wedding and they started an argument with Gwen then-then threw her into the car and they dragged us to the airport and now th-they're trying to bring Gwen back to Cali and--” 

His mouth fell agape. _What_? O-kay, _kidnapping_ was the last thought on his mind for what had happened. 

Standing, very alarmed, he rushed towards the street, signaling Jyun and Hoshiko to follow him, “Sara! How much time do I have?”   
  


“Twenty minutes until the plane is ready to take off” she whispered before squealing, “I-I have to go, they found me. Hurry!” 

“Will do!” 

Jyun and Hoshiko looked puzzled as he looked at them anxiously, “Jyun, how fast can you drive?!” 

“...Pretty fast” he coughed. 

“Okay, we have to get to the airport before this day is absolutely ruined and my wife ends up in LA because she was kidnapped. Okay? Okay!” he said in a frantic tone. 

“Uh, what?” 

“Hoshiko! You're a girl but you can go and call everyone to tell them what's going down!” 

Hoshiko leered at him but nodded, all of them climbing into Jyun's SUV, the man sighing as he revved it up, “Is it so hard to have _one_ event where nothing bad happens in this family?” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Sara was sobbing and for once, Gwen comforted her, hugging her sister as she glared icily at her parents as they paced, waiting impatiently for their plane. If this was a properly planned kidnapping, they should have had their private plane, Gwen thought bitterly, sarcastic. 

When the servants found Sara, they informed Lane that she was 'on the phone'. They all automatically knew that she'd done what Sara did best: snitched. Except this time, Gwen really appreciated it. Lane, however, was quite angry and actually slapped her. Very uncalled for in any case, Gwen thought angrily. Lane must've gone nuts though, slapping his baby who he'd never said no to a day in her life. Course, now she was absolutely crushed. 

Rubbing her younger sister's back, she pondered what her husband thought. Did he think she'd chickened out, really? If she ended up in Cali, escaped, and tried to explain this craziness to him, would he understand? Would he forgive her? Or would he just say, 'you're lying', and give up on her? Tears welled in her eyes. All of this, all that happened, was because of Kyo. Some of it was bad, but ultimately, it was good. She'd never felt so happy in her life being who she was until she met him. Kyo...Kyo meant everything to her. 

Why...why couldn't her parents understand that? 

Finally breaking into tears and sobs, both her and Sara were crying endlessly. Lane looked at both of them, exasperated, Kano just sighing and rolling her eyes. Looking up, the man looked relieved when it was announced that the plane had arrived. 

Gwen screamed and latched onto the chair as Lane grabbed her by the waist, trying to drag her. No! She wouldn't go! She loved it here, _this_ was her home! Here with the man she loved, the family that had come with him, _everything_. Sobbing, hicking, wailing, she couldn't fight the burly man much longer as he yanked her away, dragging her towards the entry. 

“What the hell?” 

Gwen stopped squirming, shocked, as the blond man paused and glared over his shoulder. 

Kyo. 

His arms crossed, looking absolutely irate, her husband stalked towards them. His hair was slicked backwards, wearing a mandarin style shirt, the sleeves rolled, and a black vest. Oh no! She saw him before the wedding! 

...Stop being stupid, Gwen. 

Gwen elbowed her father in the back of the head with all her might and gasped as she was freed. Running without even bothering to lift the hem of her gown, she wept when she threw herself into his arms. Kyo hugged her tightly against him, kissing her lovingly, comfortingly. His heart was racing so he must have run the whole way. Whimpering, she kissed him back in the same manner. 

“You look beautiful” he murmured to her. 

“You don't look half bad yourself” she laughed whilst crying, kissing his jaw. 

Resting his forehead against hers briefly, he took a deep breath before glaring at Kano and Lane, “So what the hell is it _this time_? I'm Asian, I'm poor, I'm a slacker, I'm not bastard asshole Blake Graves. I can't _wait_ to hear what's wrong with me _now_!” 

They both looked rather inappropriately angry, Lane coming forward, “Since my daughter has come here, she has gotten kicked out of school when, before, she was an honor student. She was _pregnant_ because you thought it was perfectly fine to leave her for a year and now she's running off the some damned nowhere village in South America! What's wrong with you? You're _not_ goodenough! You aren't anyone I want my daughter to be around!” 

It felt like a punch to the gut. Gwen gaped at him, her lip shuddering before she screamed, “How dare you?!” 

“...You're right.” 

Gwen stiffened, Lane looked startled. Gwen turned to her husband who looked strangely deadpanned after all that insulting, “I'm _not_ good enough for Gwen. I never have been.” 

“Kyo!” she rasped, incredulous. How could he think that? 

“But at least I try everyday to be” he said softly, “Yea, she got kicked out of school because she was married but that wasn't right, was it? And Gwen did that for our family. She sacrificed nine months of her life to make some one else happy and I won't let you take that away from her. You should be proud of her for that because I am. I shouldn't have left though, you're right. That's why I'm taking her with me. What difference does it make anyway? She's thousands of miles away from you in Japan. Hell, we might even be closer to you in South America. But I wouldn't let her go if I thought she'd get hurt.” 

Taking a breath, his eyes narrowed, “So no, I'm _not_ good enough for your daughter. But I love her soI'll fight to be worthy of her and it won't be because I'm _white_ , or _rich_ , or anything like that bitch, Blake Graves, but because she means everything to me. Now, if you'll excuse us, you've put a _hell_ of a black cloud over our wedding.” 

Gwen was astounded and Kyo sent a smile at Sara, “Coming back with us?” 

Though Lane appeared speechless, Kano didn't seem nearly as moved, “If you go, Sara, good luck making your way back!” 

Sara kneaded her hands and looked nervous. Kyo's eyes closed a bit but he still smiled, “We'll help you out. C'mon.” 

She glanced back at her parents before scurrying to his side. Gwen bit her lip and felt warm and cold at the same time. Cold because her parents could sink that low... 

Warm because this was her husband and he meant everything to her. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“I swear to _God_ , if you guys are eaten by hippos or something--!” 

Kyo laughed, giving Roomi a hug, “I promise we will not become any hippo's lunch.” 

“Are there hippos in South America?” Jyun cocked a brow, stroking his chin. 

“Whatever!” 

Standing on the threshold to the plane, Gwen smiled softly, holding some bags and giving kisses to Shen and Ai. Kurt looked worried suddenly. “I mean, you will be okay, right?” 

The blonde grinned, “Of course! I can make it, I'm a tough girl.” 

The girls all hugged her, gushing, and Kyo sighed, glancing at his father, “Well, I guess this is it for a while again.” 

“Yea...” Nelly remarked. 

Kyo blushed faintly as the man gave him a brief hug before grunting, “Be safe.” 

“I will.” 

He grunted when both Hoshiko _and_ Jyun attacked him with a hug, “Oh, our brother's leaving us forever, Hoshi!” 

“I know!” 

“Whatever!” he exclaimed, disgruntled. 

Gwen laughed and looked over her shoulder at the transportation to the life awaiting her for the next two years. 

The wedding had been a disaster. 

Well, maybe 'disaster' was too strong a word but by the time they got back, neither of them were in the mood for festivities but everyone else was. So they put on a bright smile and went for it. But everything that had happened left a very bitter taste in her mouth. Kyo, on the other hand, was fixed after his absolute favorite cake was introduced: Steiner's banana cake. He modified it into a wedding cake and Kyo was just ecstatic after that. She had had to giggle. As long as her husband had cake the world was a brighter place. 

Nonetheless, everything her parents had done and said? She'd been unhappy for days. Even during the honeymoon, much to Kyo's chagrin. But she tried and... 

And it'd be okay. 

But now they were leaving. Kyo bid everyone 'farewell', his huge family all there to meet him but she had none except, well, Kurt and Joe. 

She smiled though as Emma ran up to her to bid her farewell as did Fujiwako. Jyun gave her a hug and told her to take care and 'not get eaten by hippos' and Nelly even gave her an affectionate fatherly kiss. What was she saying? 

This was her family too. 

Kyo sighed as they called the last boarding and took her hand, “Kay, we gotta go. We love you guys...even Jyun.” 

Jyun stuck out his tongue and Gwen chuckled, “Yea, we love you guys. We'll call when we reach the airport.” 

They all nodded and waved as Kyo and her walked into the tran to transport them to the plane. Kyo stared outward before looking at her softly. “You have any regrets, baby?” 

Gwen leered at him, “None.” 

“...Okay” he smiled, “Welcome to our new life, huh?” 

“Yea.” 

Now she realized that it wasn't _if_ things were going to change but _what_ was going to change? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Fire and Rain” is a song by James Taylor. 
> 
> “I'll Be There” is by The Jackson 5.
> 
> “Roxanne” is by The Police.
> 
> Kyo's favorite childhood song is “Africa” by Toto...I've been joking a lot recently with people that a lot of that song makes NO sense. And when I realized I didn't know exactly what he was doing in that lyric with rain in Africa, I looked it up and it's “I bless the rain down in Africa” so I officially have no idea what's going on, lol.


	22. Lesson Twenty-Two

...It was _hot_. 

Gwen gaped a little as they walked through the village. It reminded her of something she saw on an educational channel except here she was, standing right in it. Kyo appeared excited and gasped loudly. 

“Mama Consuela!” 

She blinked at him as he practically pranced away. 

She was in _South America_. 

The plane ride was murder itself. They had at least four layovers. She listened through her iPod about five times completely and played with her laptop heavily. It was all stuff that would become useless pretty soon. 

When they arrived, they landed in a smaller town where Kyo informed her they'd travel to order supplies for themselves. Aspirin, medicines, some luxuries, and now that she was here, he'd cringed, tampons. She'd smacked him. Idiot. But he assured her they'd be able to get some condoms. 

Seemed a little weird that they'd been so concerned about that but it stood to reason that they'd have sex some time, right? 

But now, this was real, she thought as she stood there. This...this was definitely a little different than she imagined. She knew it'd be different, just not _this_ different. 

Following Kyo's footsteps, she found her husband hugging a rather short lady. She looked middle-aged with beautiful bronze skin and round cheeks, her hair jet black and pulled back with a pretty ribbon. Her eyes were like ebony. Kyo spoke to her happily in Spanish, the woman seeming delighted he was back too. Gwen just stood there and smiled. Oh, she'd be so out of place. 

“Ah! Mama Consuela, I have someone for you to meet” Kyo suddenly grinned, turning and waving her closer. 

Gwen blushed and wandered closer and he held her hip, “This is my wife, Gwen. She came with me this time.” 

Gwen smiled shyly, “It's a pleasure to meet you. Kyo speaks very fondly of you very often.” 

The woman clapped, looking very delighted, “Oh, Oswego! Your wife is beautiful! I am glad you brought someone this time, you got very lonely before!” 

Kyo nodded in agreement, kissing Gwen's cheek, “She's going to listen and talk to the women of the village about life.” 

“Oh! And all the women would be eager to hear of your life as well” Mama Consuela confided, “Everyone found it strange to leave a wife in another place away from a husband for so long.” 

Gwen nodded with a smile and Kyo sighed, “Well, we're kind of sleepy.” 

“Of course! Your house is still in place” she gushed, “Later, I will bring by some dinner for you and your wife.”   
  
“Yay! Thanks, Mama Consuela!” Kyo exclaimed, clearly ecstatic. 

Gwen elbowed him. There was something they needed to _say_ before they settled in though. This prostitution deal was very vital. He glanced at her confused before 'oh'ing!' and murmuring, “I have something to inform everyone about the issue with your daughter, Mama Consuela. Can everyone gather?” 

The woman's eyes lit and she quickly nodded before dashing off. Kyo rubbed the back of his neck before 'fwooing', taking the article he'd clipped out from his newspaper before smiling at her. 

“You okay?” 

“...It's _really_ hot” she groaned, fanning herself with her hand. 

He chuckled, walking towards what seemed to be the town center, “Yea, definitely takes some getting used to.” 

Everyone in the village, a crowd of maybe eighty at most, gathered rather quickly and Kyo, introvert that he was, easily skipped to the center and waved, “Hola!” 

  
They greeted him at ease and he quickly informed them of what was happening and why they could no longer send their daughters, wives, nieces, or any female to walk the streets anymore. Kyo was very tactful, reporting that it was no longer just harmful to the prostitute but to the family as they've started to track down and fine those directly involved. A man glared, looking rather alarmed and furious. 

  
“If they can do this, why do they not stop the men that come and make us give them our women?!” 

Everyone cheered madly and demanded the same thing. Kyo waved a hand to calm them, “The, what we call, “Johns” will be stopped, I assure you. They're getting prosecuted more heavily as well. And if they come into the village, well, we'll just have to rough them up a bit.” 

“Kyo” smirked Gwen, though he got positive reviews for this. 

Everyone came and chattered with him, Gwen standing there shyly. This was going to be so weird. But Kyo yawned and waved at them before taking her hand and walking her towards a house near by a river. It was up on stilts and the roof was made of straw and some paneling. 

...Okay, definitely would take some getting used to. 

He opened the door, made of a flat board of wood, and she blinked, surprised. The inside was shockingly cute, actually. Kyo had seemingly set up a kitchen area and had a little table to kneel at with a beautifully cotton woven rug of many bright colors. The bed was beneath a window with netting over it and a canopy over the bed itself. It looked like a thicker mat with sheets on it. With a sigh, he dropped their things and stretched. “We'll unpack after a nap, okay?” 

She nodded in agreement and he led her over to the bed. It was still quite toasty, she noted in discomfort but Kyo chuckled. Going over to a storage area, he retrieved, thank God, a fan, running it off a generator. 

“I actually managed to get sick being hot, as nuts as it sounds, so I told the commission and they told me to get a fan. I have two high power batteries left but I'll probably have to request more” he murmured to himself. 

Gwen was just gracious they had anything and grimaced, hitting her arm, feeling a bug. He laughed with a sigh and sat on the edge of the bed, holding his arms out to her. 

“Regret it already?” 

“Of course not!” she scoffed, crawling in with him, “It'll...just take some getting used to.” 

  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

_Hot damn._

Kyo stared, wide-eyed, at his wife. He'd been sleeping pretty peacefully even though the night air was thick and balmy. The fan was really only providing minimal relief. 

The night had gone well, Mama Consuela and her children coming over, bringing them food. She got along rather well with Gwen and Gwen herself admitted she could see why Kyo liked her so much. She was just so...motherly. 

But they decided to go to bed after a while and, well, when he went to sleep, Gwen was wearing one of his t-shirts. When he turned over and opened his eyes briefly, she'd stripped down to her panties. 

He swallowed a lump in his throat as her skin glistened with a fine layer of sweat, her nipples hardened by the little droplets of perspiration. Occasionally she'd arch her back, her stomach rising up as she squirmed a bit. Licking his lips, he groaned and couldn't help stroke himself. Sure, she was uncomfortable but it was sexy as hell. She may hate it but he _loved_ that she was here now. 

Gwen's purple eyes briefly opened and she glared at him as he moaned, “ _Pig_.” 

“Haven't heard that in a while” he rasped. 

  
“Yea, well, you're jerking off because I'm in _hell_! How do you sleep in this heat?!” 

  
He sighed and climbed on top of her, “Well, you know, I can put you to sleep pretty easy.” 

She leered at him, “I am _not_ feeling sexy all sweaty and gross.” 

“You might not feel it but you definitely are” he groaned, running his hands down her back. 

Gwen sighed as he kissed her strongly, his tongue dipping between her lips, grasping her thighs. She kissed his neck and he sighed, “You have _no_ idea how much happier I am now that you're here.” 

“Because you can have sex?” 

“Well, I got really bored at night so I either overdosed on bananas or beat off.” 

She snickered, “Sheesh.” 

Tomorrow they'd start the new program. It'd be interesting, he knew. And maybe even a little tiring but didn't mean they couldn't have a little fun tonight He hadn't really mentioned it either but he'd craved some kind of company in his previous adventure. 

And he couldn't ask for better companionship than his wife. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kyo drank out of the water bottle he'd brought for the journey, a sturdy metal one with a neat little lid and kept his water really cool. He was dragging cauldrons of water towards the house, boiling them over a fire so that he could have a nice little bath ready for Gwen when she got home. According to one lady he'd passed, she hadn't had a good day. 

He groaned as he stood up straight. He just could hope that she wasn't _really_ already regretting this. They had 635 days left, give or take. 

His main concern was, well, that Lane might be right. This may not have been the best idea for Gwen. Gwen Douglas was raised in a house where, if she so desired, she could keep the water running all night. Here he had to drag it from the river, boil it, then wait for it to cool. She probably ate French cuisine and escargot for dinners at night, but here, well, he made them what he could. She seemed to like what Mama Consuela made but it was yet to be seen what she thought of his South American styled-cooking. 

Kyo knew that his wife had changed a lot just by being in Japan but even he kind of missed the instant comforts of a more developed society. For Gwen it had to have been a little harder. 

Not to mention these women lived as pretty much second class citizens. 

As Mama Consuela had said, they'd all been puzzled, alarmed, and perplexed when he admitted he was married but that his was wife was back at home very far away. Did he not fear she'd do something? How was she going to survive? Who was going to bring in money for her? Because, well, women here were the nurturers. They cleaned the house, had the kids, and cooked. It was something that they were required to do, pretty much, where in their culture it was a choice a person could make if they wanted to be a housewife. This lifestyle might irk the feminism back into his wife. 

Sighing, he wandered inside, hoping the house was cooler as he'd managed to buy a bigger fan from a passing salesman and a few batteries. He'd actually introduced this particular village to fans, it seemed, as almost everyone had them now. They told him they were rather delighted about this find. He told them about something even greater than a fan though: air conditioning. They'd been intrigued but he had to admit that if any of these salesman one day meandered by with a huge A/C unit, he probably couldn't use it. He didn't he could easily get a battery large enough to support such a monster. 

The men stared at him blankly when he went outside to hang the sheets on a line, glad that he'd brought several more from home or else, well, that'd be pretty gross after last night. One of the fellows made their way over after he pinned the last pillow case, looking confused. 

“Oswego?” 

  
“Hmm?” 

  
“We are confused. You have a wife now, don't you?” 

  
Kyo nodded with a smile, pretty much knowing where this was going. “Yes, have you met her? She's pretty, isn't she?” 

“Well, yes, yes” he laughed nervously, “Except that you still do your own chores. Do women from your land not clean?” 

Kyo took a moment before answering, mostly because he knew that his wife was currently having some group meetings with the women of the village. If the husbands, fathers, and sons thought that Gwen was going to teach them something _besides_ their custom duties, they might forbid it. 

“Well, of course she does” Kyo insisted, “But right now she's at what we'd call, well, her 'job'. And I don't have my job until tomorrow and she's off so then she'd do the chores.” 

The men looked confused still, “Does it not make things difficult, your wife working as well?” 

  
“Not at all” Kyo shook his head, “It makes her happy and with us both bringing in income, we live very well.” 

  
Now this actually seemed to catch their attention. Anything that could bring in extra cash, he thought with a smirk. “I mean, women here, they can produce things like those nice woven pillows and go sell them in the city market if they ever find themselves with any time or desire.” 

“Who would watch the children?” they said dubiously. 

  
“Well, that could be a job for someone too. A nanny or a babysitter, what we call them...oh! Or a daycare where people drop their kids off and pick them up later.” 

  
The men rubbed their chins before bidding him farewell and said that they'd consider his ideas. Just ideas, really. He knew it was hard to change tradition. 

  
“Kyo!” 

He jumped a little, startled, when Gwen appeared, her blonde hair curling from the heat and up in a ponytail, wearing a tanktop and shorts. Mm, he loved her being here. 

“Hey baby. How was your day?” he questioned, leaning in to give her a kiss. 

She gave him a quick peck and suddenly started to pace. Gazing at her wide-eyed, he was pretty sure she could see her muscles pulsing with adrenaline. Had she been talking or running a marathon? 

  
“They're repressed” she said, her hand on her chin, speaking in Japanese, “Like, things we take for granted they don't even have! I mean, I learned it was like that in some places but actually _seeing_ it? It's astounding!” 

He nodded, using the wooden scoop to put some water in a smaller pot and guiding her inside as she continued to chatter. Sitting her down on the almost bean bag like chair he had, she tapped her fingertips against the table, “I mean, they still have a red house!” 

  
“I never really got what that was” he admitted, shucking corn. 

  
“In ancient and apparently _modern_ times, when women were on their period, they'd be placed in a tent for a week until it was over” Gwen huffed. 

Kyo flustered, “Wow, really? Man...” 

  
“I know! Because they're considered 'unclean'!” 

He offered her a mug of water which she consumed at ease before grunting, “And women get married at fourteen! I was just ending my doll phase when I was fourteen!” 

  
“You had one?” he teased, grinding the corn. 

  
She leered at him, “It's bull, Kyo Yagami, bull!” 

  
“Baby” he said in a reasonable tone, “I know you're probably going to be out on a mission now but you have to remember this is an old culture with old traditions. You suggest alternatives but you don't pressure them, okay?” 

  
“I know that” she pouted petulantly, resting her chin on the table, “But it's so _different_. You know that like ten guys asked me today why I was letting you do laundry?” 

  
He snickered, “Don't worry, I hope I set them straight.” 

  
“I just hope that I can help at least one person” Gwen said drearily. 

  
“Babes, you're here for two years, I'd aim for at least three.” 

  
She sighed and he sat, making tortillas before smiling rather shyly at her, “So, uh, still don't regret it yet?”   
  
“No! I have a mission now. There will be no regrets” she said with a haughty grunt. 

  
....Well, maybe he just forgot that his wife was a little bit different than the normal rich girl. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“... _What_?” 

Kyo stared at the deliverer of the anthropologist's supplies and gawked in utter disbelief, “I had it written on there _five_ times!” 

  
The man sighed and shrugged, “It's a shortage.”   
  
“A 'shortage'?!” he demanded incredulously. Was there such thing?! 

  
“It doesn't matter what brand it is” Kyo insisted. 

  
“They haven't really been shipping like usual” the deliverer said indifferently, climbing back into his old box truck, looking at the night, “I mean, I'll have them for you _next_ month, no doubt, but...” 

  
“It's been _two_ months already! My wife is going to kill me!” 

  
If it wasn't apparent they were addressing the topic of a certain contraceptive that him and his lovely wife had run out of the day they got their last supply delivery. 

  
No, they weren't going at it _that_ much, not by a longshot. Gwen had a lesson about birth control methods and the women seemed appalled. Gwen explained though that it was just a method to not have children when it wasn't seen to be a fit time. She cited examples such as when a woman had just given birth to a child or was young. Even they noted the higher chance of miscarriage the younger the woman was. This perplexed them and Gwen, being a kind of 'demonstration' type, gave the willing participants some of _their_ condoms. Gwen had said it actually went well and that the men seemed really happy too, especially those with five plus kids already. 

Thing was, they ran out of condoms themselves and now they were both kind of losing it. It was the dead of summer so more often than not, they were sleeping pretty much naked. Also, it was the season for really, really long rains. Like rains that went on for two to three days at a time. So they were sitting inside, talking or playing board games or listening to music. But at some point, it did get a little sexually tense. He'd playfully nip at her ear or she'd rub his leg and it pretty much took every inch of will they had to tear away from each other before they got to home base. He usually just ran out into the rain after that to cool off. 

Now he stood in the middle of the road dumbly, holding the supplies they had ordered minus the condoms and wondered what Gwen would say or, rather, do. Smiling nervously, scared senseless, he started the mile back to his house slowly. If he could drag it out... 

He ended up at his doorstep all too soon with a groan, slowly pushing the door open. He wasn't surprised yet strangely shocked when his wife tackled him against the door, her shirt and bra already gone as she practically ripped his shirt off. 

  
“G-Gwen” he yelped as she grabbed roughly at his pants. 

  
“Where are they?” she demanded without greeting, sinking to her knees whilst kissing down his chest. 

  
“B-baby, I have really, _really_ bad news” he rasped, dropping the box as he quickly stopped her from giving him a blowjob. 

Gwen stared at him questioningly as he rubbed the back of his neck, zipping up before clearing his throat, “No condoms.” 

Her purple eyes stared at him blankly as if she couldn't comprehend what he was saying, “...What do you mean?” 

  
“I mean that the guy said there was a shortage or something in the main city so we don't have any condoms for the month” he sighed with absolute misery. 

“No F—KING way!” 

Gwen growled loudly through gritted teeth, marching away, “Why do things keep getting in the way of us having sex?!” 

  
Kyo just sighed again and she sat on the edge of the bed, tapping her toe, “There has to be a way. Maybe we can make our own.” 

He stared at her, wondering if she was serious. “Baby, if we did produce our own condom, I'm not sure I'm willing to be the tester.” 

“We can't sleep together. I'll molest you” she muttered randomly, lying on her side away from him, “I should have just gotten my tubes tied or something.” 

Kyo swallowed the painful lump in his throat at that before shrugging, wandering over and grabbing his pillow. She seemed to notice his upset though she wasn't looking at him, “What's wrong?” 

  
“Nothing” he said shortly, lying on top of the rug, snuggling with the pillow. 

Gwen sat up, glaring at him, “Don't give me that. I know you better.” 

  
“Do you?”   
  
Looking ready to demand what that meant, she seemed to have a revelation before rolling her eyes, “Kyo...” 

  
“I get it: you don't want a kid. Fine. Good night.” 

  
Gwen grunted and crawled out of bed onto the floor next to him, “Kyo, I am _still_ not at a point where I'd want a child. I think it would have crossed my mind by now, right? I'm 26.” 

  
Kyo was just silent before he mumbled, “I guess.”   
  
“And I've read that a lot of women feel really _connected_ when they have a child for someone else and that's why it's so hard to give them up. But-but I don't even really see Ai as a baby I carried. That means something too, right?” she insisted. 

  
“It's whatever, Gwen.” 

  
“It's _not_ whatever! I'm trying to discuss this with you!” she snapped.   
  
“You're not trying to _discuss_ this with me! You're _telling_ me whywe're not having a kid!” 

  
She gawked before glaring, “It's my body, Kyo! Mine! I'll decide if I want to have a child and I don't want to!” 

  
“Good, I'm glad we have that settled” he bit back, turning away from her. 

  
“You said it was _my_ choice!” Gwen seethed, upset. 

  
Kyo was quiet for a long couple of moments before mumbling: “It is your choice.” 

  
“...Children are needy, Kyo. I...I can't take needy. And-and they're time consuming. I-I don't...need that” she whispered, seeing that he didn't seem resolved, just defeated. 

  
“Gwen, it's okay. Please, I don't want to discuss this anymore” he said softly, “Get some rest, okay?” 

  
Her cheeks flushed and she seemed miserable, climbing to her feet, “Y-you too. You...you can come back to bed if you'd like, I don't think I'm in the mood now.” 

  
“I'm fine.” 

  
Biting her lip, she mumbled, “T-they, psychologists and stuff, say that we shouldn't go to sleep angry, Kyo.”   
  
“I'm not angry.” Just depressed.   
  
“Kyo...” 

  
He gave a deep sigh and picked up his pillow, walking back towards the bed, dropping onto his side wordlessly. Gwen slumped back into bed after turning on the fan and blowing out the candle. 

  
...Couldn't she be selfish about this? Nine months of back pain and swelling then eighteen years of absolute chaos? Thanks, but no thanks, right? It might have sucked for Kyo since he wanted kids but he'd feel better about it down the road. 

Right? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Yea, _right_. 

Gwen sat distractedly in the circle as the women chattered and gossiped. They'd invited her to help sew up costumes for their end of summer festival. It was funny that her sewing sucked so much before coming here but now she was a pro a la Mama Consuela's teachings. Guess she was learning things too. 

She also learned her husband was a grouch. He was weirdly upset over their conversation though he tried to hide it. And she wouldn't have known any better if she hadn't known how he was. She knew he was unhappy. 

  
...A baby. It was the one thing she wouldn't resolve herself too. Tomei-sensei, evil as she was, had had a baby and said it was the one thing that lowered her continually the most to the stereotype of being a woman. No matter if she worked, she'd still come home and have to be a mother. It sounded strange but Gwen understood. On top of all the other reasons, that was one of the main ones even if she was over most of the other radical theories the teacher had taught. 

A girl they simply called 'Lu', at age seventeen, looked positively green as she sewed, looking set to puke at any moment. Gwen frowned at her. “Are you okay, Lu?” 

  
She looked up before laughing softly, “Oh, I am fine! I am with child.” 

  
Gwen gawked and all the other women gasped, delighted. But _what_? She gave her like, ten condoms! Lu pinked and gave her a shy smile, “I did use the condoms until I wanted a baby, Gwen, just like you said.” 

  
“...Oh.” She did say that, didn't she? Still, seventeen! 

  
Mama Consuela was threading a needle before looking at Gwen, “When will you have a child for Oswego, Gwen?”   
  
God, the coincidences. “Uh, actually Mama Consuela, we're not having any children.”   
  
They stared at her oddly. Such a statement must have been weird in a community so devoted to family. One of the girls, Mala, looked puzzled. “Can you not have children? If so, we will pray for your fertility.” 

  
They all agreed and Gwen flushed, “N-no, I _can_ have children, we've, well, _I've_ decided that I won't.” 

“...But why?” asked Lu, puzzled. 

  
“W-well, I mean, it's good that you guys love it and are so devoted to your children but-but I don't think I could be. Nor do I .really want to.” 

  
They all frowned and she felt nauseous. Sheesh, she felt like she was getting pressured.   
  
“Well, if it's normal in your culture, I'm sure it'd be fine” one woman stated after a moment, “It is difficult, children are loud and messy.” 

  
“Y-yes” Gwen nodded, feeling a little understood.   
  
Mama Consuela suddenly laughed though, “Children are much more than that though, Gwen. I think you and Oswego would make good parents.”   
  
...Could she lie and say that the idea of being a mother had _never_ crossed her mind? No. No, she admitted to herself when she shopped for the babies back at home, she thought about it heavily. But thinking, 'oh, I wish I could dress up my baby!' wasn't a good reason to have a child, right? And...and the only reason she would do it was to keep Kyo happy and... 

...And? He should understand that it had to be more to it than that. She'd love their child but she didn't want to despise it later. She just didn't want to risk that. And she didn't want to lose the independence she had. 

No thanks. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kyo walked around after talking to everyone about the cultural festival and even helping set up before realizing he was too melancholy to enjoy the festivities. He decided a nap would do him good. 

He'd never been so damned perturbed about this issue before. Sure, it upset him. He saw Kamon, he saw Fujiwako, he saw Kaori and Miyako. Damn it, _he_ wanted a kid too. He wanted to be someone's father, he wanted to hold a life that he created in his hands. Especially after he delivered Shen, he wanted something like that in his life. But he supposed if Gwen thought of a child as a _chore_ , “eighteen years of chaos” then maybe it wasn't worth it. Nevertheless, it still crushed him. 

Alas, he woke up at about 11: 45 p.m. and noticed that his wife was still missing. Scowling, he rubbed his brow and looked around. Not in the house either... 

Jumping out of bed, rubbing the base of his back, he mumbled. Sheesh, was she partying hardcore or what? He didn't expect her to stay at a foreign festival for long. 

Pulling on a shirt, he wandered out into the night towards the square where a fire was ablaze and live music was thumping, muscular men striking drums and playing guitars and flutes. When he arrived, the men all cheered drunkenly and handed him a wooden tankard of some liquor. Kyo smiled awkwardly and took a sip out of respect. 

Mother of God! 

Coughing, alarmed that they had anything that strong and potent, his head started to swim, “Holy...” 

The men laughed, slapping his back, quite intoxicated. He smiled wearily and took another sip warily. Yep, never lost it's kick. 

Looking around, cocking a brow, he was about to question if anyone had seen his wife, that one random blonde. He opened his mouth to ask before gawking. 

Mother of _God_. 

Gwen was dancing around, singing loudly, a mug of this million proof beverage in her hand. She was actually wearing the custom costume. Though the elderly women weren't...lacking in that area, Gwen was young with a rather large pair compared to the other women her age in this village so the mid-drift, like the top to an Indian sari, was showing off a massive amount of boob. The bustle pants were clinging to her hips so lowly, showing off her perfect curves. 

_God_ , she was _hot_. 

Chugging the rest of the drink, excessively flustered, he handed it to someone with a grunt. Where did she get off, showing off her boobage like that?! Those tits were for his eyes only! 

Marching over to her, he grabbed her around the waist and she squealed, “Parties over, Cinderella.” 

The women looked rather confused as he carried her off, “Oh, Oswego! The men were convinced that women drink in your culture! We told them not to give her anything but...” 

  
“Well, women do drink but uh, usually we have a cut off point that apparently my darling wife missed” he grunted, throwing her over his shoulder as she kicked, squeaking. “Thanks for having her.” 

Carrying her home, he set her on the bed as she pouted rather childishly at him, her arms crossed and her cheeks puffed. “You ruin my fun!” 

“Yea, I'm an old geezer and I don't want my young pretty wife bouncing and jiggling around, showing off her young pretty body” he snorted, getting some water from the cauldron for her to drink. 

  
“You think my body's pretty?” she gasped as if this was new information. 

  
“Very” he assured, handing the cup to her. 

  
He yelped when she tackled him around the torso, knocking him to the floor with the water, “I love my Kyo-chan the most!” 

  
“Wow, you are _wasted_ ” he grunted, grabbing her arms, trying to tug her away, “Come on, let's go to sleep.” 

  
“Tell me a story first, Kyo” she mewed, not letting him go. 

  
His head started to swim a little and he grimaced. How his brother could force being sober, he never learned. He wasn't nearly so lucky half the time.”Um, story? Uh, yea, there was...a woman...and she was really...pretty.” 

  
“Was it me?” she asked cutely.   
  
“Yea, sure...and...she was...doing something, I think. And there might have been a unicorn...” 

  
“I always wanted a unicorn.” 

  
Kyo laughed, tipsy, “We can just tie a horn to Baron's head.” 

  
“Ah! Do you think my Baron is okay?” she pouted unhappily, “I don't think he understood that mommy was leaving.” 

  
“He should be preoccupied. Might be screwing Yuri...” 

  
Gwen squealed, “Then our babies can have a pony!”   
  
“What 'babies'? You sed you din't wan' babies...” he said, his voice starting to slur.   
  
“Oh yea!” Gwen clapped, “You know, I really wanted a baby when I was younger. I was going to dress it pretty and feed it and love it...” 

  
“Our babeys woul' be pretty. Are you sure you don' wan' one?”   
  
“Well, if you think they'd be pretty” she mused reasonably, tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear before she declared, “Let's make babies!”   
  
“Hells yes!”   
  
... 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“My...f—king...head....” 

Yagami Kyo groaned, hissing all existence as the sun gleamed in through the window, hitting his eyes mercilessly. What did he drink? He'd never drink it again, that's for damn sure. 

Queasy, it felt like fuzz was in his mouth as he finally forced his eyes open.before looking down at his wife. 

...Why were they naked? 

  
He could have shrieked in horror. Oh dear God, they had unprotected sex!! She'd kill him!! 

Hoping she'd sleep long enough for him to manage an escape and not know the difference, she suddenly moaned groggily, “Kyo, it feels like I got hit in the skull by a planet...” 

“Haha, yea...”   
  
She lied there for a moment before she said carefully, “Kyo?” 

“Yea?” 

  
“Why are you naked?” 

  
“...I dunno, why are _you_ naked?” 

She shot up quickly before groaning, clutching her head, “What the hell did we _do_?!” 

Kyo sat up, leaning against the wall the bed was pressed against and grimaced himself. His head didn't want to begin to wrap around this. But Gwen looked pissed, wrapping the sheet around herself.   
  
“Kyo!” 

  
“ _What_?! Stop yelling!”   
  
“You stop yelling!”   
  
He groaned, “I think we both got drunk last night and ended up screwing around.”   
  
“It looks like a little more than 'screwing around'” she hissed, standing in a fury, “I can't believe-- ugh! But-but whatever, I'm not pregnant. It only happened once.” 

  
“Spoken by every unexpecting mother ever.”   
  
She turned and pinned him with a hot as the fieriest pit of hell glare. Smiling nervously, he waved a hand, “But you're probably right!” 

  
“...Did I make a fool of myself last night?” she questioned suddenly, looking horrified.   
  
“Well, the women seemed freaked that you were drinking as women don't drink here” he shrugged, “And, well, you were dancing and jiggling quite a bit from what I _do_ remember.”   
  
Gwen's cheeks turned bright red and she mumbled, “They've lost all respect for me.”   
  
“Baby...” 

  
She didn't want to hear it as she marched off to clean up. All her hard work, diminished! Kyo hadn't gone so she should have followed his example. Now no one would respect her anymore. All of her speeches were for nothing. This was the worst thing that could ever happen. 

XXXXXXXx 

...Or so she'd thought. 

  
Mama Consuela frowned as Gwen threw up. “Are you sick, dear? Did something upset your body?” 

  
Gwen felt weary as she finally raised to her feet, clutching her stomach as she realized this feeling. This could _not_ be happening. 

  
“I'm...I'm not sure, Mama Consuela” she admitted, smiling gratefully as the small lady gave her water. 

She sat back down, continuing the lesson, and recording the results but she just felt awful. Thing was it was a familiar awful, an _unwanted_ familiar. Well, luckily they didn't think less of her, it seemed, because Kyo informed them that women were allowed to drink in their culture so that was no longer a concern. 

Just she had a hundred times larger one now.   
  
When the “class” was done, she walked home slowly, finding Kyo chattering with children contently near their door. He saw her and gave her a warm smile which she returned with a bitter glare. 

Kyo swiftly waved the kids off as she stalked into the house, dropping into bed, holding her stomach as it continued to turn as a result of the unwelcome presence. Kyo closed the door, staring at her with an unreadable look. 

“You know, if looks could kill, I'd be dead and buried by now. What'd I do?” 

Gwen sat up and looked at him. She pondered telling him. She wondered if she could end it before he even knew. But she knew she'd live with the guilt of not telling him if she did so. 

  
“Well, thanks to our little drunken tryst, Yagami Kyo, I am pregnant” she said seriously. 

  
Kyo had started to get himself some water and the mug slipped from his hands, alarmed, “W-What?!”   
  
She glowered at him and he looked at her, his eyes wide, his mouth agape, “R-really?” 

  
“Kyo, we're not keeping it.”   
  
A baffled expression crossed his face before his eyes darkened and his lips turned downward, “...What do you mean 'we're not keeping it'?” 

  
“I mean we're not keeping it!” she snapped, standing to pace, “I can't believe this happened! If that idiot had just done his job and found our supplies--” 

“What do you _mean_ we're not keeping it?” he repeated, his voice fiery and angry. 

  
Gwen glared at him as if it should be obvious, “I'm assuming they don't have clinics here so the next best option is to send it to that orphanage we saw while in Brazil.”   
  
Kyo recoiled as if she'd punched him in the face, “...Are you _nuts_? We're going to send our baby to some city where it'll stick out like a damned sore thumb and probably live through all kinds of hell?” 

  
“Kyo, it's not our worry” she muttered simply, kneading her skull.   
  
“The fuck it's not 'our worry'!!” he screamed, clearly enraged, “You are not sending _my_ child to any damned orphanage here in South America or-or any other for that matter!” 

  
“So what are you going to do?!” she demanded, “Send it to live with your dad? Where we'd live nearby and he'd figure out who his parents are and wonder why he doesn't live with us? No! He's going to the center here, you got it? It's my decision and that's final!”   
  
Kyo gawked at her before his lip shuddered, “It's _your_ decision but it's _my_ child. Half of it is _mine_ and I want to keep it or-or at least not leave it _here_. It was our fault, _we_ conceived him so why should we punish _him_?” 

  
She stared at him before her eyes narrowed, “...Would you think of me differently if I did this, Kyo? Would you stop loving me?” 

  
“Honestly?” he whispered harshly, “...” 

He paused and stared at her as she seemed rather fearful. She didn't want a kid. She'd made that clear, hadn't she? And he couldn't make her if she didn't want to.   
  
“...No, I...I wouldn't” he rasped, sorrowful, before forcing a pathetic smile, “I...I said it was your decision and-and you...you made your choice. And...and I'll be fine with it.” 

  
His heart felt like it was being ripped out of his body as he turned away from her, holding the aching spot, his eyes burning with tears. “Uh, I'll...I'll, uh, make...make dinner when I get back...I...I need...to go for a walk...” 

  
Rushing out of the house, needing solitude to mourn, he went far into the brush and crumbled into a ball. His child, he thought with a broken laugh, sobbing. His _baby_ and she didn't want it. She didn't want it so much she'd actually leave it here in another country. 

That said a lot about what she thought of bonds. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _Your dad hates me, you know that, right?”_

_Yagami Gwen sat by the window in the late Fall. After that horrendously hot Summer, the coming winter was starting to look very pleasant. Weather-wise, anyway._

_She rubbed her extended belly. Just an absent habit, really. She'd been here for nine months already, hadn't she? And it started off so amazing. She couldn't have been more happy that her husband suggested it._

_Then the baby came into the picture._

_She didn't tell the women her intentions at the meeting though they were extremely ecstatic that she was with child. They prayed for a healthy child after the lessons daily, offered her tips for making herself comfortable, and even had given her baby clothes they'd sewn especially for her. It made her feel so guilty. To top it off? Kyo had moved out._

_It'd made her break out into tears and fever thinking that he'd 'separated' himself from her, that they might be over now as a result of this. No, Kyo had sat by her and tenderly cared for her, assuring her that it wasn't that. He just couldn't watch her gradually grow bigger and bigger with his child that he'd never even get to hold. If she meant to give up the baby then he could have no part in it or he'd be emotionally compromised. After she felt better, he'd given her a weak smile and a kiss, telling her he loved her, and left. Sure, he came back to bring her food, strangely enough, and to make her and himself something to eat. But he avoided staring at her or even casting a glance. Things had been going so well._

_The baby kicked a little as she nearly choked on tears. If she'd just stayed at home, this would have never been an issue. She would have never ended up pregnant for him to hate her. Now? Now she was hurting him because she just didn't want to._

__She hiccuped and glanced down at her swollen tummy, the baby actually seemed to graze its foot against it. It was freakish or maybe a result of her own unsound mind but at times she felt like it tried to comfort her anguish.  
  
“...Hey, are you okay?”   
  
Gwen jumped and looked to Kyo who was walking in with a tray, looking worried. She bit her lip, rubbing her eyes, and looked up at him hopefully, “P-please come home. I can't stand it anymore.”   
  
Kyo just sighed and gave her a look, setting the tray on the table, “Gwen, I know you feel like I've left you behind but it's not that, honest. I don't know, I've been tripping out a lot more lately after that fake death incident. I feel more...sensitive to everything, as much as it pains me to admit.” 

_Waddling over to sit at the table, she clenched his wrists as he unwrapped the cheesecloth from around the food, “I'd never want to see you hurt like that again.”_

“ __Then understand that I can't return until it's over” he said with a haggard sigh.  
  
Gwen released him and hugged herself as he delved out the food which they ate in silence before he gave her a kiss on the temple and left again. Sighing heavily, she walked over to the little bin she kept the clothes the women had given her. She smiled at the little poncho, the little moccasin like shoes. It was different from their world but it was so adorable and she, when she had one of her moments, knew it'd look so cute on the baby. 

_But she wasn't keeping it. It'd be too much work and not even be worth it when her and Kyo looked back, wondering where nearly twenty years of their life went. Nonetheless, a baby poncho kind of made her smile._

_...What had she gotten herself into?_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

“ _What will you name your baby, Gwen?”_

_  
Gwen jumped when Mama Consuela asked that, the group sitting together as Gwen taught them the alphabet. They were currently taking a 'quiz' of sorts and Gwen smiled at Mama Consuela shyly. _

“ _Uh, I...I don't know.”_

_Lu, already eight months pregnant herself, looked startled, “You haven't thought of it yet?”_

“ _Uh, not yet! What are you naming yours?” she asked, quickly changing the subject._

“ _Marc if it is a boy, Estella if it's a girl” she nodded._

_They nodded in approval and Gwen swallowed, wondering what she would name it if she wanted it. No! She...she couldn't._

_Lately, as she had a lot of time to herself, she found herself just, well, getting a tad attached to it. Just a tad though! Just..._

_Just, when she was lonely, sometimes she'd just talk and it felt like it was listening. Like its kicks were actually timed to the end of her questions. Or its little foot grazes, those were like its way of comforting her. But that...that was ridiculous! Just absent reactions it made!_

_Nowadays, she was actually very worried about seeing it too though because...what if it looked like Kyo? Would she falter?_

_..._

“ _K-Kairi!” she suddenly blurted, shocking herself, the women all looking up, “Or-or Elizabeth or Bethany if it were a girl.”_

_They all expressed their delight that she'd come up with something while she was just mortified. What was...what was happening to her?_

_Why did she doubt herself? And now she'd named a child she'd no attachment to and she did feel excited. Somewhere in her head she thought that her and Kyo would make good parents. What was this? Denial...?_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_Gwen had a dream. Her, Kyo, and their stupid unwanted baby that was wrecking everything were walking through a field. Kyo was pale but the baby looked full of life. She was simply caught in the middle. He told her that she had to be strong. She didn't understand what it was talking about._

_Kyo's coughing woke her._

_Sitting straight up, startled, she looked around the dark room and found Kyo huddled in the corner. What? Heart thumping, she threw the cotton blanket off and scurried to him. Was he sick? Kneeling by him, she stroked his hair from his face. He was asleep. She gasped when she felt his skin though. He was freezing! Going back over to the bed, she grabbed a blanket and spread it over him. His dark eyes opened briefly and he stared at her before they widened._

“ _Oh s-sheesh, you weren't supposed to wake up” he muttered, pushing the blanket away._

“ _You're cold” she rasped, “Come to bed.”_

“ _No!”_

“ _Stop being ridiculous!” she scowled irritably, “If you got sick, I'd never forgive myself! Now get in the bed now.”_

_Kyo opened his mouth stubbornly but faltered when her eyes narrowed. Grumbling, he stomped over to the bed and dropped in, muttering incoherently. Gwen huffed and dropped in next to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He actually kind of tried to squirm away. She leered at him._

“ _Stop it!”_

“ _The baby's right in my back!”_

“ _He told me you were sick” she muttered to herself._

“ _What? Who would have known that? 'He' who?”_

_Gwen grumbled, “He told me you were sick! I-I should have come for you.”_

“ __...What? Gwen, who told you I was sick?” he questioned in a slow tone.  
  


“ __The baby!” she said as if it were obvious.  
  
Kyo's eyes widened as he glanced over his shoulder at her before whispering, “Oh. Does he...usually tell you things?” 

“ _Not often and not that well” she mumbled, very comfortable with Kyo's body there._

“ _...Ah.”_

_She dozed off and Kyo lied there, pretty disturbed. Okay, so maybe his sanity wasn't the one he needed to worry about._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

“ _Ground control to Major Tom. Take your protein pills and put your helmet on” Kyo sang, very confused._

“ _This is ground control to Major Tom, you've really made the grade. And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear. Now its time to leave the capsules if you dare” Gwen yawned, rubbing her belly._

“ _Uh, why Space Oddity again?” Kyo questioned with an indulgent smile._

“ _Space Oddity is its favorite song” she groaned, “It calms down when it hears it.”_

“ _...Really, David Bowie?”_

_Kyo moved back in. He was a little shocked at how she treated the baby as an already completely physical companion and was convinced it was telling her things or that it sang to her and stuff and responded. It made him feel really guilty because he knew she'd only flipped out because she was lonely. At least the music thing wasn't too far fetched, he'd heard pregnant women say their babies reacted to music in the womb but, uh, communication?_

_Clearing her throat, she smiled at him, “I'm glad you came home.”_

_He smiled softly at her, “Yea, me too.”_

_Sitting up, he clenched his eyes shut and forced a smile, “Um, I told the shipper about the baby and how it'd need transportation to Brazil.”_

_Gwen nodded, “I might go too so I can go to a doctor.”_

“ _...Okay” he whispered. Secretly, he'd hoped since she was friends with the child now that she'd wanted to keep it._

“ __Just two more months!” she said happily, “Then things will be normal again!”  
  


“ _...Sure.”_

_He was humoring her but he knew things would never be normal again once that day came. And it hurt._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

“ _Oswego? Why are you so far away?”_

_Kyo blinked rapidly, shocked, when Mama Consuela's voice echoed through his head. He looked up and smiled quickly, “Uh, I...I couldn't deal with her being in pain.”_

_The older woman didn't seem to believe him and he smiled vaguely. She was in labor. His child was being born and he didn't even want to be there. Looking up at the woman, masking his sadness, he questioned, “How is she?”_

“ _Very strong. You should return to check on her” the woman insisted._

_He shook his head and stood, placing his hands in his pockets, “She told you that she was going to Brazil to see a doctor, right? I'm going to check on the shipper.”_

_The woman's eyes narrowed so she definitely knew something was up but..._

_He just didn't want to think about it._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_Gwen settled in the back seat of the truck after requesting to put the newborn in the front seat with the driver._

_It was a boy._

_The labor was shorter than she expected, honestly. Still as painful as she remembered, but..._

_The baby came out utterly shrieking in horror and had never stopped. She took it in her arms once they'd cleaned him off but she refused to look at him. She...she couldn't. It was still crying endlessly as she made her way to the truck and she couldn't stand it. It had comforted her but she knew if she did comfort him, she'd want something foolish and unreasonable, something that'd make her regretful later. The shipper looked annoyed but said he was fine with it._

_It...it was almost over, she told herself with a weak, exhausted smile. The baby was going to be gone and her and Kyo would return to normal._

_Except it wouldn't. It was different. Much, much different._

_She had no maternal bond with Ai but she felt the absolute and utter desire and need to comfort his cries. She could barely fight that need to tell him it'd be okay, that world may seem like a scary place but it'd be alright. How could she tell him that though? Kyo was right, nothing would be easy for the child in a South American orphanage. Life may have been absolute hell for him and that was the last thing in any known universe she wanted._

_The loss of independence, the fact that it was needy, the 'eighteen years of chaos' seemed to be the last thing on her mind. He was...he was just a defenseless little thing. He didn't know any better. It's existence really wasn't his fault._

_..._

_She fell asleep, to fight the doubts, and had a dream. The crying was playing like background music the entire time._

_Her and Kyo were back in Japan and their son was dashing around happily, kicking a ball, as they followed behind him, holding hands and chatting. Kyo saw an ice-cream stand and grinned, kissing her cheek and offering to get them all some. Their boy was utterly ecstatic about that and she'd laughed. They looked...like a family._

_Their child walked over to her suddenly and pulled her shirt. She glanced down at him before kneeling, looking at his face which was oddly masked._

“ _Thanks for keeping me, mama!”_

_She was perplexed in the dream, “What do you mean?”_

“ _Because this would have happened if you didn't!”_

_The crying stopped._

_Gwen sat straight up, startled, and gazed around. The truck had actually stopped in a thicket and she peeked, about to question the driver but ended up shrieking. The man had forced his huge hand over her baby's face, suffocating it._

“ _What the fuck are you doing!?” she screamed loudly._

_The man looked ready to jump out of his skin and she reached out, slamming his head against the steering wheel with all the strength she could muster. The sadistic man yelped and Gwen sobbed, shoving the center console down and quickly grabbed her baby. **Her** baby. _

__He was crying for all his little lungs were worth now and she cried along with him, “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!”  
  
She finally looked at him, her eighteen years of chaos, her loss of independence. No, God, just her son. 

_...Oh, oh, he looked just like Kyo. His hair was a pretty brown color, his eyes soaked with tears. Oh, he had her eyes. He...he was beautiful._

_She kissed him lovingly, rapidly, her angst melting, her heart at ease, “I'm sorry, my poor sweet baby. I'm sorry. Mama's right here.”_

_His sobs faded into whimpers, his tiny round little face worried, concerned, distrusting. Gwen bit her lip, “No baby, mama's not going to let anyone hurt you.”_

_Gwen leered at the man who looked befuddled, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn't turn your bastard ass in!?”_

“ _Believe me, lady, it was for his own good if he was just going to end up in that orphanage” the man uttered angrily, rubbing his brow._

“ _What the hell ever” she glared hatefully, “Take me to town now.”_

_He looked irritated but started the truck back up and they made their way there. She told the shipper to 'go to hell' and went to a small convenience store and bought out all the diapers they had as well as baby food and bottles. It was odds and ends sort of things but she'd made do. The baby was looking up at her, as if intrigued, and she smiled exhaustedly at him._

_Screw Tomei-sensei. That woman was probably exactly like her own mother, making her child regret existing because she 'got in the way'. Screw her discretions, screw her fears. When had she ever turned on something because it was a challenge? That had been her only reason, right? She hadn't been 'up to it'. What bull! She..._

_She was going to be the best damn mother ever._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Kyo sat on the porch of the house, completely miserable. His baby. His baby was gone. 

Tears prickled his eyes as he wished that he'd gotten to see him suddenly. He knew if he had he wouldn't have given him up but now he felt so...empty. 

But maybe he would have felt that way regardless. 

He'd never be a father, he thought bitterly. He'd never have a child to coddle, to teach, to love. Never. If Gwen was willing to let their baby be lost in a foreign country then there really was no hope, was there? 

Clenching his throbbing brow, he noted he'd been getting a lot of migraines lately. Maybe he should have went to the doctor too. Looking up wearily, he cocked a brow when a taxi pulled in. Curious enough, he walked over and was shocked when Gwen climbed out. 

... _With_ their baby. 

His jaw nearly hit the ground and Gwen paid the driver, thanking him graciously for making the long drive into the jungle. He nodded, tilted his hat, and drove off. Gwen looked to him and smiled. 

“Hi!”   
  


“G-Gwen, w-what the hell?!” he demanded loudly, horrified, _hurt_. 

Gwen's purple eyes looked furious as she walked past him towards their home, “That bastard shipper? I want him fired, okay?” 

“Gwen.” 

“He tried to kill our baby!” she snarled. 

He opened his mouth but faltered, “W-what?!” 

Gwen grumbled, “I didn't want to see him so I put him in the front seat with him and I-I dozed off and when I woke up, that bastard was trying to suffocate _my_ baby! I could have killed him.” 

Kyo stared at her for some time before he dared words, “Gwen, what's...what's going on?” 

“I'll tell you what's going on: I'm going to be the best damn mama ever!” she said haughtily. 

He gaped at her before shaking his head, gripping his increasingly throbbing brow, “Baby, honey, I don't think you're in the right mind right now. We spent _nine months_ of you saying you didn't want this baby!” 

“So? I can change my mind” she said simply, “It's _my_ decision.” 

He just looked at her and she kissed the baby's forehead, “His name is Kairi, by the way. Yagami Kairi! I think it's really cute.” 

“...Yea” he said at length. 

She hummed and skipped off. Kyo followed cautiously. Okay, whatever. It was just a matter of time before she snapped out of this exhausted almost stupor and return to her mission of getting rid of their kid... 

Course, once he saw the shipper again, he'd definitely have some 'words' for him. 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Kyo sat at the table, sleeping, while Gwen and the baby took over the bed. He hadn't dared lay with them. He'd accidentally look at 'Kairi' and get his heart broken _again_ when Gwen kicked him out of their life. 

Gwen moaned softly, sleepily, before her voice pervaded his exhausted mind, “Kyo? Why are you sleeping over there? God, sleep in bed!”   
  


Kyo grunted in response and Gwen stood, sighing, “What's wrong? Are you really upset because I changed my mind about this?” 

He remained silent and finally, after some time, Gwen murmured, “You think I'm just being weird and will change my mind by tomorrow, don't you?” 

“Kind of crossed my mind” he mumbled simply. 

She knelt beside him, he could feel her presence, and sighed heavily, “Kyo, really. I'm not going to change my mind. All my reasons? It's-it's different now. And I had a new reason every day why I didn't want him. I didn't want one because Sara cried a lot, I didn't want one because of Blake, I didn't want one because it was seen as woman's duty, I didn't want one because it's eighteen years of craziness or it'd cut down on my independence.” 

Kyo tilted his head to look at her and she looked out at the dark night, “But all that's changed now, hasn't it?” 

“...Well, the last few things haven't. It is tough work raising a child and you are going to lose some freedoms” he said at length, cautious. 

“Of course. But what, I wouldn't lose the same freedoms having a job? I'm married, some freedoms are out of the window with _that_. And I think a baby is good for us at this point. He...he's our only one though, just to warn you now.” 

Kyo sat up and gaped at her hopefully. Could she really mean it? Was she stringing him along? Swallowing, he looked away fearfully before whispering, “I'll...I'll never get over it if you decided to change your mind.” 

Gwen rested her chin on his shoulder, “I'm not indecisive even when I'm crazy, Kyo. Well, once I resolve myself anyway. He's ours.” 

Kyo swallowed and rubbed his eyes, laughing softly, “O-okay. I'm sorry it happened like this though, baby. I mean, you haven't been able to see an obstetrician, we're in the middle of nowhere, the diapers you picked up aren't going to last, like, any time.” 

She kissed him, “Don't worry. It wouldn't have happened any other way.” 

Taking his hand, she dragged him over to the bed, smiling. Having him sit, she picked up the sleeping baby, resting him in his arms. Kyo gaped softly at this tiny little being. His boy... 

Cheeks flustering, he smiled shakily and kissed his forehead, “K-Kairi, huh?” 

“Yagami Kairi” she reiterated, “You're a papa. I hope you know that means you'll be changing eighty percent of the diapers.” 

He laughed softly, “Sure thing. We're parents, huh?” 

“Yea, and part of me still thinks we're crazy” she snorted but smiled softly, relaxing into his side, “He's really perfect though. I guess I'm biased.” 

“He's got good genes” he grinned lazily, relaxing in bed, pulling both of them to lie down as well, the baby on his stomach. He groaned contently, beside himself, “Ah! Tomorrow, I'm going to build him a crib and a high chair. And-and-oh my God, I'm a dad.” 

“Yea...” Gwen smiled sleepily, “This should _definitely_ make the experience even more interesting. Pregnancy made it actually kind of really insightful, you know? I connected with the women and they told me all the things they go through when pregnant and, well, I think I'll have a good excerpt to write about.” 

He chuckled, “Well, I guess it's good you got drunk knocked up?” 

She snorted and pinched him before looking at him, “Kyo, I decided that my issues, my reluctance to have a baby, were all simulated and I tried to ignore all the pulls of want I had for our baby during the pregnancy. I overcame all that. But, um, from now on, let's talk things out rather than have you move out.” 

“Well, you were pretty gung-ho anti-baby and it didn't seem like we could.” 

“Oh, I know” she said quickly, “I'm saying, for both of us. We're kind of bad at that 'discussing' thing. Or maybe it's just me but you just humor me too much.” 

“Because you're pretty” he cooed, kissing her forehead. 

She snickered, “Seriously, Kyo.” 

“Well, I mean, we haven't been seriously married as long as we were 'fake' and 'trial' married so I think we're still working on some of our 'issues'...but we'll be fine.” 

She nodded firmly and he watched her fall asleep before looking down at his pretty tiny baby son. 

He started feeling concerned. Kairi needed to see a doctor. Even though women here had been midwives for centuries and raised children and... 

Well, as reluctant as he was to do so, maybe he could leave it alone. He felt, once again, that this was probably the best thing to happen to him. 

And he was happy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Space Oddity is by David Bowie.


	23. Lesson Twenty-Three

“Say 'ahhh'” Kyo cooed, opening his own mouth wide as an example. 

Gwen glanced back at the two with a smile as she cut some peppers for a snack she was making for the women's meeting today. Kyo had made all the things they'd probably have back home for the baby out of the supplies he had available. Kairi was currently sitting in his rather improvised high chair, his amethyst eyes big as Kyo spoon fed him some mush. 

“Good boy” Kyo praised, scraping the last of it together for a final mouthful. 

He licked his lips as Kyo gave him that last bit and slammed his hands on the table, giving a frustrated sound. Kyo leered, “I'm _sorry_ , that's all you get for now. We'll feed you more later.” 

His giant cheeks puckered and he looked positively disgruntled. Gwen smirked, “Yea, that's _definitely_ your son.” 

Kyo snorted indelicately and she laughed, walking over with some leftover sliced bananas and placed them before Kairi, cooing to him, “Here you go, baby. Tell daddy you're a growing boy, you need your food.” 

Kyo smirked at that and Kairi seemed pleased with this change of events, picking up the bananas, squashing them a bit, and shoving them into his mouth. “Well, at least it's just bananas and corn mush. I just don't want him to get round enough to roll.” 

Gwen sighed, resting her chin in her hand, “I really wish we could get a nutrition book so we can know what to feed him.” 

“He's doing fine” Kyo assured, “And he's a really good baby. He's not wasting any of his food or anything. And all the stuff he's eating is really healthy so that's why I'm not _really_ freaked. Plus, you breastfeed him too. Kairi should be getting all his essential vitamins one way or the other.” 

Six months old. 

Well, what could she say except that Kairi definitely settled one of her reasons for previously not entertaining the idea of not having a child: Sara clone a.k.a. crying for utterly no reason. In fact, it had freaked them out because when he was about a week old, her and Kyo had stood over their bed, staring at him as he slept contently, completely bewildered. 

Kyo and her had slowly exchanged a glance before he whispered to her: _“Is this...normal? He's cried like, once, and it was because he hit his head! Shouldn't he cry to at least know he needs a diaper change or a snack? We're freakin' playing guessing games here.”_

“ _I know” she'd bit her lip,_ _“I was so worried I'd have a fussy kid that I refused to have a child and now I have one that's not fussy and I want him to cry. I mean, at least when he's_ _**bothered.**_ _We're not psychic.”_

“ _Maybe we need to take him to the doctor” Kyo bit his lip, “I mean, even the best of babies cry A LOT more than he does.”_

_Gwen looked at him hopefully, “The trip to Brazil would have to wait a while though until they replace the last shipper so maybe you can get a hold of your cousin?”_

_He frowned thoughtfully and walked over to his trunk before taking out his cell phone, turning it on, “...Well, I do have a pretty good signal right now.”_

_  
Gwen clapped and he dialed Hattori Jilliana's number. Biting his lip, he let out a breath when she answered. _

“ _Kyo?”_

“ _Hey-y-y Jilli! I, uh, have a villager who needs some possible medical advice for a baby! I'd ask how everything's going but...”_

“ _I understand” she said cheerfully, “What's the question?”_

“ _Uh, the baby doesn't cry. Whatsoever, really, except if he's in understandable pain. Diaper, hunger, any of that, it's a no.”_

“ _Well, all babies are a little different” Jilliana informed, “I mean, crying is not always tantamount to a healthy baby.”_

“ _I see...”_

“ _Of course, it could be developmental so the parent would want to diagnose that as soon as possible. As you're in a village, I'd say just keep records of whether he becomes verbal at the appropriate age and his progress in general.”_

“ _Okay...”_

_He blinked as he heard talking before a new voice took over, “What the hell?! I am your in your immediate family, bitch, I get called first, damn it!”_

_Kyo smirked, Yagami Jyun clearly intoxicated, “Hi, Jyun. How is everyone?”_

“ _Dude, have you heard? That jerk knocked up our sister again!”_

_Actually rather flabbergasted at such news, Kyo grunted, “What?! Is he going for some kind of baby-making record?! Did you kill him?!”_

“ _Nah.”_

“ _You effin fail” leered Kyo._

_Gwen glowered at him and he groaned, “Anyway, we have some really exciting news--”_

_Kyo paused and glanced at the phone as it went dead. “Okay, maybe not.”_

So yea, on top of their son not crying, his family still had no idea he had procreated. Ah well, it'd be a nice surprise. Along with the surprise that, well, they'd decided they'd stay the full two years too. At Gwen's discretion though, she said she had so much more she wanted to do. 

Kyo picked up his son, sighing as he took off the little knit onesie and checked the water to bathe Kairi before hissing. “Okay, that needs to chill for a while longer, buddy.” 

Gwen couldn't help smile as she wandered over to them as Kyo sat on the bed, cuddling Kairi to him, the baby giggling and kicking. Kyo chuckled and let him crawl on the floor. He was actually developing really fast, they thought. Gwen thought it was a result of environment. She leaned over to kiss him, sighing. 

“It still gets me that you're so good with him. I thought that I'd be automatically the homemaker.” 

Kyo snorted, “No way.” 

But he grinned, snatching Kairi up as he squealed, “But I'm just thankful to have him. I would have taken care of him single-handedly if I had to.” 

Kairi giggled as Gwen tickled his feet, Kyo holding him up, “Well, luckily you don't have to. My little boy is so perfect!” 

Kyo smirked as Gwen cooed over the giddy child, “Babes, you need to, uh, get to the class. Kairi and I are going to go and try to help with the school building.” 

She clapped and nodded, kissing him and Kairi before waving, “Okay, I'll see you two later.” 

Kyo waved Kairi's hand for him and the baby gurgled. Ah! He was so happy! 

Going over to the wooden basin, he checked the water again, satisfied, before stripping Kairi and carefully setting him in the pool of water. He squealed, delighted, and splashed erratically. Kyo closed an eye, turning his face as the water soaked his shirt. “Woah there, buddy. If you knew the work I had to go through to get this water all clean and stuff for you...” 

Already with teeth coming in, Kairi grinned at him as if to say 'yea, I know, punk'. Kyo snickered, kissing his son's damp cheek, “Oh, you're going to be more like your old man than I'd want you to be, baby.” 

Drying him off with a towel they'd brought from home, he quickly got him into an 'eco-friendly' diaper that Gwen had shipped from somewhere. Kyo had to wonder if it worked as well as a classic diaper but well, he had no point of comparison. 

Putting on the sleeveless little poncho that Mama Consuela had made for him after putting on the onesie they'd made from one of his shirts, he sighed. “Just you wait, Kairi, daddy's going to dress you up pretty once we get to a mall...” 

Kairi giggled and Kyo set him on the floor, placing his rattle near him to amuse him while he got dressed. Truly, he was though. He woke up everyday next to his beautiful wife and his beautiful son all whilst being right in the middle of his dream job. What more could he ask for? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kyo groaned, rubbing his lower back as Kairi darted off...again. Well, he could ask for _sleep_. 

He smiled though at the large beautifully built school building made just for the children. Since the other anthropologists were staying longer, they were going to teach English, mathematics, and the alphabet to the adults first then the adults could have teachers and teach the children. It was one of the ideas _he_ had had. Gwen's ideas were always quite popular. 

She'd placed the option of birth control pretty much out there and though a predominately religious community, they did recognize that there were just times that a child possibly popping up was considerably unsavory. She also had it set up that women would work in markets or trade with other nearby villages to bring in money as well. As a result, she also set up a nursery for these working women, run by elders who also were now 'employed' as caretakers. 

So yea, everything was working impossibly well. Well, the men were kind of mad at them because he, uh, did housework and their wives questioned why they couldn't either. D'oh. 

Kyo grinned and chased after Kairi, the boy walking now, swooping him up in his arms. “What am I going to do with you?” 

Kairi giggled, kicking, as Kyo growled playfully, kissing him, before setting him down again, chuckling as the boy walked beside him. Gwen said it was the cutest thing in the world, watching the two walk down to the river to collect water side by side. Kairi just so small compared to his father. Well, Kairi just thought he was big, Kyo had joked. But really, it was special to him too, walking with his son. It was such a weird and amazing feeling. 

“I've been roaming around, I was looking down at all I see. Painted faces fill the places I can't reach. You know that I could use somebody? You know that I could use somebody?” he sang. 

“Some'won like you!” Kairi chanted in his cute little voice. 

“You're so smart. I really have to wonder where you get it from” he pondered, stroking his chin, “Probably your beautiful mama.” 

“Aww, do you usually flatter me like that when I'm not around?” 

Kyo jumped a little, surprised, and Kairi squealed, “Mama!” 

Gwen, her golden hair in loose pretty curls as a result of heat and dressed in a pretty traditional dress, swooped him up, “Hi, precious! how have you been?” 

“Good” he said adorably. 

Kyo smiled and hugged her waist when she got closer, giving her a kiss, “How were your lessons?” 

“Awesome! Oh, I can't believe we leave in three months” she echoed sadly. 

He smirked, “Woman, you remember how before you said that two years is _way_ too long?” 

“Still!” she pouted, holding his hand as they started home. 

They frowned when they got to the square though, surprised, when a crowd appeared. There was a truck. Weird, it wasn't time for shipments, was it? 

They got closer and Gwen and his jaw nearly dropped. 

No. Damn. Way. 

Tomei Mayako stepped out of the vehicle, wearing an outfit that looked like she was going on a safari, two probably students beside her and another woman. 

Why the hell were they here? 

They looked around disdainfully and Kyo swallowed. This was not good. Just proved it: nothing went great forever. He glanced at Gwen when she inhaled sharply, looking to the woman. Oh God, they were walking towards them. 

The woman's dark eyes narrowed, glowering and looking Gwen over, “...Hmph.” 

“...Tomei-san” Gwen bowed. 

“Indeed” the woman scoffed at the way Gwen addressed her, “I see that you're even more brainwashed than before.” 

Gwen grimaced and Kyo just rolled his eyes, “What are you doing here?” 

“Do you own South America?” Tomei demanded coolly, “I can be anywhere I want.” 

Kyo's eyes narrowed as Gwen gave a despondent sigh, “Look _lady,_ Gwen may be afraid to talk to you the way she wants, but I'm sure as hell not. Now why are you here?” 

“I'm glad you got yourself such a brazen and lowly partner” Tomei said briskly. 

Kyo pursed his lips and started tapping his foot, grunting, “Look, you stay here if you like but Kairi and I need a nap.” 

Gwen looked at him anxiously as he wandered away with Kairi who waved his hands over Kyo's shoulder, “C'mon, mama!” 

“...So you even had a child!” the woman gawked, appalled, the others even looking disgusted, “You really learned _nothing,_ didn't you?!” 

Gritting her teeth, Gwen glared at the woman, “I learned that I should have never listened to you! You have no idea how great my life's been since you've been out of it! And you know what? You're right, I shouldn't give a flying f—k why you're here. Just stay away from me and my family!”   
  


Stalking away without a response to catch up with the two, she bit her lip because she knew that that was way wishful thinking. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _You lie!”_

_Gwen just wanted to beat someone up as she sat at the interrogation table, exasperated. So she found out why Tomei-san came: She wanted to undermine the progress Gwen was making here._

_And oh, she was doing just that, telling the women that men back home are just as useless as here and they subject women to rather discriminatory conditions, that they were just as powerless and that Gwen had made them feel like they had a choice when, in reality, she was somehow making things worse than before. The husbands didn't like it. And nor did the men back in the mainlands either, Tomei claimed._

_What hurt was some of them believed she was lying to them. Mama Consuela and Lu was on her side, at least, but she rubbed her brow and shrugged awkwardly. “Um, if you would prefer Tomei to take over, I don't really mind.”_

_The women glared at her and spouted that they would. Mama Consuela looked exasperated and glared at Tomei who looked pleased, “No thank you.”_

_Well, at least half of them left with Gwen but damn it, they were divided! Damn you, Tomei!_

“Mommy sad” Kairi observed sagely, watching the woman from the table. 

Yagami Kyo glanced at her as she just wallowed in misery in their bed. “Yea she is, buddy.” 

Ugh, he wanted to call Matt and demand why the hell they sent this bitch of a c—t here! He grimaced and squeezed the base of his nose. Oi, he promised himself he'd stop doing that. It was just really hard sometimes. 

Two years these women have learned from his wife and they turned on her like it was nothing. It was actually extremely infuriating. Just because their husbands didn't like that they were kind of being more independent. Well God knows what would happen when they take Tomei's anti-men-don't-listen-to-a-word-they-say mantra home. One, she'd probably ruin all the work that the anthropologists had done by getting them kicked out of the country for causing upheaval. Ugh. 

He had to counter this. Not just for his baby, but for his career too. 

Swooping Kairi up, he sighed, “Let's go try to cheer mama up with something.” 

If he could somehow get the men to do _something_ to disprove all Tomei-sensei's propaganda then maybe he could get things back on track. But men were pretty disapproving of Gwen's lessons in general... 

Finding them all sitting in the square, smoking pipes and chatting, he groaned and felt his mouth go a bit dry, nervous for once. But Kairi skipped over before starting to prance back and forth, excited. 

“De colores, de colores se visten los campos en la primavera! De colores, de colores son los pajaritos que vienen de afuera. De colores, de colores es el arco iris que vemos lucir. Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores!” he sang, more or less. 

Kyo smirked as the men started to clap along with his song. Well, they did really like Kairi, saying he was a 'native' now. They even taught him that song. At least he was warming the crowd. 

“Uh, hey guys” he greeted with a smile as he wandered over. 

They all looked up at him and he swallowed, “Can we chat for a few moments?” 

So he quickly explained the situation and the danger of Tomei brainwashing their women. This seemed to irritate them, that they needed to kick out all forces that were changing their values. That made Kyo cringe because they considered his wife in that category. He waved his hands quickly. 

“I mean, it's not _all_ bad! You guys admitted that it was nice having the extra income that your wives have brought in!” 

They grudgingly agreed but one man grumbled, “It's not worth it if it means our women will become rebellious!” 

They all bellowed in agreement and Kyo shrugged awkwardly, “We just have to prove this lady wrong, show her we're not useless and that we can do women's work.” 

The group blinked and he waved them closer, “I mean, take up a chore or something.” 

This definitely didn't go over well. “I have never done a chore in my life!” 

Chimes of agreement went around and Kyo waved a hand, “Come on, simple things! Like-like sweeping the deck or-or wiping the windows or something. Nothing big, just little things they'd take notice of.” 

Kyo sighed as they grumbled at such ludicrous ideas and just asked they give it some thought. Picking up Kairi, he wandered off and felt miserable. Their great experiences ruined. 

Ugh. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ __You lie!”  
  


_Gwen cocked a brow as Tomei-sensei gaped, the women looking irritated and glaring at her. O-kay..._

_What happened?_

“You must tell us more, Oswego.” 

Kyo blinked as the men surrounded them. One man, his arms crossed, looked impatient. “My wife has made my favorite dishes for three days in a row! All I did was beat the rugs!” 

“She was pleased. I sweep! All I did was sweep!” 

And the stories went on and on. Kyo kind of scratched his neck. Well wow, he didn't think they would do anything but it worked out well. 

“Um, well, we can cook? My wife likes when I cook for her” he offered slowly. 

This gave them pause and they stared at him like he was crazy. He laughed slowly, “I mean, it's really easy to make tortillas and that's a staple of your meal. I'm sure your wives would like that too.” 

Whispering, they looked grave suddenly. “Cooking?” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Yagami Kyo, who told you to interfere?!” 

Yagami Kairi walked up to his mother, his purple eyes aglow, “Daddy and me love mama!” 

Gwen looked down at her son who was looking up at her sweetly as Kyo grinned nervously. “Did your daddy tell you to say that?” 

“Yes, mama!” 

Kyo groaned and he looked at his aggravated wife sweetly, “I just wanted to prove that men aren't lousy!” 

Gwen threw up her hands as she stretched the blanket across the bed. “Of course! And now Tomei-sensei is on a rampage! 'Oh, so they cook and clean and that just makes their subjugation better!'.” 

Kyo rolled his eyes, “For what it's worth, the guys were pretty hyped that their wives were so happy with such simple tasks. And they loved the tortilla things! They thought it was fun.” 

Gwen just sighed, sitting on the bed with Kairi as he walked over, holding a little book they'd bought, “I know, I just...kind of wanted to do this on my own.” 

Kyo sighed, “I won'tget in the way anymore.” 

Gwen pulled Kairi into her lap before smiling softly at him, “I'm sorry, I know you're just trying to help but this was so irritating! And they all gave up on me so easy...” 

Kyo sighed again, sitting beside her and kissing her temple, “I'm sorry she came and kind of nearly ruined this for us.” 

“Hardly!” she scoffed, kissing him, “I'm so happy with this experience. It was so much more than 'school'.” 

He smiled and nuzzled her cheek, “Me too. I mean, we have a lot to show for it.” 

Kairi suddenly stood, shocking them, his head between their faces, “Hey!” 

Gwen laughed, hugging him and kissing him, “We're talking, baby! Here, mama will pay attention to you.” 

Kyo chuckled and cuddled them both against his body as he reclined in bed, resting the book against his knee and reading it to Kairi in Japanese. He got a little puzzled, the poor thing, but he seemed to get it pretty well. 

Hmm, he couldn't wait to go home to show off _his_ baby. But then, he was going to miss it here. Mama Consuela was like their mother. The townspeople, the younger ones, were their buddies. If they were back in Japan, they'd have gone to movies and dinner with them for outings. This... 

This was home too. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Papa...smokey?” 

Kyo grumbled as Kairi beat at his bare chest. He'd tried to get Kairi adjusted to sleeping in his crib. And well, the boy didn't much care where he slept, actually, but it was Gwen who consistently worried about him getting sick or something weird and bringing him to their bed. 

Turning his head, slowly dozing back off, he grunted as Kairi continued his assault before sitting up, leering at his son, “Kairi, we are aslee--” 

... _Smoke_. 

The blood drained from his face and he gasped, his pulse racing, his eyes searching for the source. They widened exponentially when he found the whole back wall in flames. 

Screaming, he quickly shook Gwen rapidly, the woman groaning before opening her eyes to glare at him, “Wh--” 

Her words were cut off by smoke and she looked around before shrieking, “Oh my God!” 

Throwing the blanket off of them, he gritted his teeth, handing Kairi to her, “Get out of here!” 

“What?! We're _all_ getting out of here!” she yelled, grabbing his arm. 

Jerking away, he growled, “I'll be right out! Get out of here _now_!” 

Gwen gaped before picking up Kairi and darting out. He seethed, angry with himself for this, and knowing that he was denying all the logical teachings of escaping a fire but something about all their paperwork, their passports, their _living_ burning up. He couldn't let that happen. 

Saving what he could, throwing it into a trunk, he gave it a rapid hard shove out the door before grabbing the cauldron. 

Gwen was in tears as he made a rapid attempt to put out the fire but to no avail. Kairi wept too, just something far too odd for his taste but... 

He watched their small hut go up in smoldering flames before it started to crumple in pitifully, when all that could put it out was the sudden unseasonal rain. 

They watched helplessly as the weather put out the fire but not before it was completely destroyed. Wordless, Kyo turned to gaze at his family as they stood there, shivering, wet, in the downpour. Lip shuddering, he forced a smile and opened the trunk, searching for the tent he'd lived in while Gwen was pregnant. Pitching it as fast as he could, he dragged the disturbed Gwen in, undressing Kairi who was confused and putting him in new warm clothes. He innocently fell asleep in the twilight but his parents sat up, listening to the rain patter on the plastic. Swallowing, Kyo whispered.“...What...just happened?” 

Gwen's purple eyes were narrowed, red from weeping, seething, “Tomei.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Don't be ridiculous. Only a man would sink to such lengths.” 

Gwen gritted her teeth as Kyo stared at the woman warily, holding Kairi who was intrigued by his own feet at the moment. They were sitting in a deliberation center where disputes were resolved, the elders of the village surrounding them. Gwen was enraged and he just felt numb. He'd actually wandered early in the morning to find a signal. He'd bought some airplane tickets. Three for California. 

Gwen didn't know yet but he was pretty much prepared to leave. It didn't even matter what had happened, he just knew that after this he couldn't stand it. Looking at Kairi who was gnawing on his fist, he smiled faintly. If it weren't for him, they'd probably be dead. Kissing his child's forehead, even more thankful for his existence, he listened as the yelling escalated. 

“I won't stand this! You let this little-little _turncoat_ come here to teach you things and you'll believe her completely! For all you know, she just left a candle burning!” the woman snapped. 

Gwen hissed, “I'm not that scatterbrained, despite what you my think! You did it and you'll admit it!” 

“Gwen...” Kyo said faintly. 

The village leader folded his arms, looking between them,”Do you have any proof that they did this?” 

The blonde woman faltered before bowing her head, “...No.” 

Mama Consuela frowned sadly, “Our laws say we can do nothing without proof, Gwen, Oswego.” 

“So do our laws, Mama Consuela” Kyo said softly, understanding, “We understand.” 

Gwen glared angrily at him and he grasped her hand, “We're going to be leaving tomorrow. I think we've done all we can.” 

The natives in the room looked alarmed as did Gwen, turning to look at him, agape, “What? You haven't discussed this with me!” 

“As you'd expect” snorted Tomei contemptuously. 

Kyo swallowed and laughed bitterly, “Lady, just because you got away with it doesn't mean I don't think you didn't do it. And you know what? Just because you did do it, that's why we need to go. For anyone to be _heartless_ enough to just kill us like that? I'm glad to know that you're so threatened by us that you'd kill an innocent child. Well, I'm not risking my family. Our tenure has been up for a month now anyway, we just need to go.” 

“Oswego” Mama Consuela said hectically, “If you need a home, you know mine is open!” 

He smiled, “It's not that, mama. I just want to keep my family safe.” 

Gwen gaped a bit as he grasped her hand, picking up Kairi, feeling angry, violated, upset. This was his home. 

And they took that away from him too. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“You have enough food?” 

“Yes, Mama Consuela.” 

“And you have things to keep Little Oswego busy?” the older woman nagged, kneading her hands. 

“Yes, Mama Consuela.” 

“You should stay one more night, it looks like it will rain!” she said worriedly. 

Kyo laughed as he placed the last bag in the back of the pickup truck, hugging the woman, “You really do sound like my mama, Mama Consuela! I promise, we'll be okay.” 

The woman sniveled, hugging him back tightly, “I wish you would reconsider. Perhaps we could find information on this evil woman!” 

“It's okay, Mama. I really miss my family. I haven't talked to them in months” he sighed. 

She looked upset, her eyes glittery, “Promise you will visit?” 

“Of course!” he grinned before kissing her cheek, “Take care, Mama.” 

“You too” she rasped. 

He glanced behind him and sighed as Gwen made tearful good-byes with their close friends, beside herself. Poor thing didn't want to go but... 

“Gwen, baby, we have to get rolling” he called. 

She glared at him over her shoulder, pretty mad at this. She had every right to be, he supposed, but it'd be better this way. Sighing, he climbed into the backseat, Kairi in his lap, curiously examining the car as this was the first time he'd been in one and more aware of his surroundings. After Gwen spent an exorbitant amount of time bidding Mama Consuela 'good-bye', she sadly climbed into the back seat with them. Kairi squealed in delight as the vehicle started to creep forward. Kyo opened the back window and waved, Gwen hanging out the side window, waving and yelling her good-byes. 

After they'd gotten far enough away, she hissed, “I would have found a way! I would have found a way to prove that they tried to kill us! Ugh!” 

Kyo smiled some, “But I really, really want to see everyone.” 

“Ugh! But we're letting them win!” 

“You know, you're really sexy in that shirt. Your mama boobs are outlined pretty well” he said absently, gazing at her chest. 

Though she looked like she was going to initially smack him, she suddenly gawked, “Mama boobs?! Are they slouchy!?” 

“No!” he laughed, “They look very perky.” 

She leered at him before grumbling, staring down at her chest, “I wish I hadn't outgrown all my bras. My nipples are mad poking through.” 

“Not that I mind” he said coyly. 

She snorted and grabbed his arm, snuggling into Kyo's side as they continued up the road, “Why did you really leave? I know you, baby, you could have held out the last two months to see your relatives.” 

Kyo sighed and snuggled her closer, “Why? Because I know that that situation was going to escalate out of control. And when I see an out, a way to protect those I love, I know I should take it. That woman jumped to a million pretty quickly so who knows what her next turn would be? Poisoning us and Kairi? Killing someone and framing us? It was just not worth it.” 

Gwen bit her lip and sighed, “Why are we going to Cali? I know you don't mean for me to make up with my parents.” 

“Well, it hadn't occurred to me, actually” he admitted, “But maybe Kairi can be the bridge. Your mother did really want a grandkid...” 

She rolled her eyes and glared up at him, “I won't let them come anywhere near my son if they don't accept his father.” 

“Dane Cook Jr., right?” 

Gwen laughed for the first time in days, jabbing him, “Yea, Kyo, because he came into a elusive village in South America one day just for kicks and giggles.” 

“I knew it!” 

She snickered, shaking her head, reaching out to stroke Kairi's hair as he looked out the window. “I'm...kind of excited now.” 

Not so much about her parents, she could do without them. But she felt really sad about leaving on such a sour note. She hoped that Tomei-sensei screwed herself over and got caught doing something. 

“Guess what, Mrs. Yagami?” 

She blinked at her husband as he grinned lightly down at her, “I think you are officially done with college.” 

About to ask what he meant, she gasped. Wait, this _was_ for college. She'd forgotten all about that part, for some reason. Sure, she did all the paperwork but she just thought she was here helping after a while. But she _was_ done. And...and now she knew for a fact this was something she wanted to do: help people, make efforts in communities, teach. 

Closing her eyes, she murmured, “This was great.” 

“Yea” Kyo agreed, lovingly kissing her then the back of Kairi's head, “Yea, it was.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Oh God, you've already gotten him hooked on McDonalds?” 

Kyo grinned as his wife appeared with a bag of her former clothes she had worn on the drive, now wearing a black tee with silvery graphic designs under a black tight hoodie, a jean mini skirt with a studded belt, and black flip flops. A far cry from the cotton dresses she'd worn for the last few months. 

“Mama's hot, isn't she, Kairi?” he cooed. 

Kairi was nibbling on a French fry, also wearing a new outfit of jeans, a white t-shirt, and a red hoodie. He'd seemed strangely perplexed by the sneakers and hadn't liked them until he discovered they lit up, then he'd nearly had an aneurysm over just how awesome they were. But he looked up at his mother and grinned before reaching for a chicken nugget. Kyo played with a strand of his long blondish hair. Ugh, he could not pull blond. He might have to dye it back to it's natural color. 

“He's going to get addicted to all the food we give him from now on anyway. He's like his daddy” Kyo answered, picking up his burger. 

Gwen snorted and sat across from them at the fast food restaurant within the airport, tapping her fingertips, “I keep getting stared at.” 

Kyo pushed a chicken salad across to her, “I said you're hot.” 

She leered at him, “You get stared at too!” 

“Well, not to be arrogant...” 

Smirking at her disgruntled look, he reached out and grabbed her hand, startling her, placing it near his end of the table before grabbing Kairi's hand, placing it over hers, “That should be your complexion, my darling wife.” 

She looked down, startled, Kairi a nice milkyish with only a tint of color complexion to her rather caramel tan. They used a majority of their sun block on their child. 

“Oh my God!” 

“It really brings out your eyes” he winked. 

She sent him a glower and sighed, playing with a strand of her still curly hair, “I probably should cut this right?” 

“Hell no. I really like it like that” Kyo scoffed, sipping his soda, “Stop fretting, you're gorgeous.” 

“I'm being vain” she suddenly said gravely. 

Kyo rolled his eyes around, “No, you're just worried everyone will freak at how you look when we get to California but you are fine, I promise.” 

He finished the last bite of his sandwich and glanced at his watch, “Mm, plane should be here soon.” 

Gwen clapped, looking to Kairi, “Oh, this is so exciting, baby! You're going on a plane!” 

Kairi looked sad...because he'd finished his chicken nuggets. Kyo chuckled, “I think he'll be excited once he gets there.” 

Gwen smirked and picked up the satchel she used as a diaper bag, swinging it over her shoulder, as she took the last few bites of her salad. Kyo stood, straightening his own jacket and tugging on Kairi's, “Oh yea, my little boy is snazzy!” 

Gwen snickered as he slid his hand into hers, “I almost got lost in the bathroom.” 

He laughed, “Me too. I can't say it's something I didn't miss though.” 

Her eyes widened briefly in agreement, “Not having to boil our water for bathing is going to be great too.” 

“Oh God, _yes_.” 

Gwen laughed before sighing, “Well, I guess we're going home, huh?” 

“Yep” he smiled, “There's no place like it.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

If there was one thing she hated, it was long, long flights. Gwen's eyes fluttered open when she heard something over the speaker. Kyo had fallen asleep, his headphones in his ears, and Kairi... 

She kind of gaped, shaking Kyo's arm. He groaned and his dark eyes opened for a moment before closing again, mumbling, “What's up?” 

“Has Kairi been awake this entire time?” 

Kyo frowned and glanced at his son who was standing in his lap, looking out the window, his purple eyes wide with delight and amazement. He blinked, “Wow, I guess so.” 

“Kairi, baby, come take a nap” Gwen pouted, trying to pull him away. 

But Kairi wasn't having it and once pulled into Gwen's lap escaped back to the window. Kyo chuckled, leaning down and kissing the top of his head. “You going to be papa's pilot, son?” 

Kairi gurgled and Gwen sighed, “He'll be tired when we land, Kyo.” 

Kyo sighed and picked Kairi up, earning him a disgruntled sound, and he kissed the side of his face, “Come on, we'll be back on a plane soon enough. Sleep for a little bit, okay?” 

Kairi fought it but he dozed for about ten minutes before returning to the window. Gwen leered and Kyo laughed, shaking his head, “Well Gwen, he never was much of a nap man.” 

“I suppose not” she agreed with a sigh, curling back into his side, “But mama definitely likes a good nap.” 

“So does papa” he yawned, resting his head on top of hers, “We're landing in about two hours.” 

“Mm kay...” 

Two hours away from the past. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Oh yea! This is our song, isn't it, Kairi?!” 

“Yea!” 

Gwen smirked and cocked a brow as she drove through the crazy streets of L.A. Kyo was in the passenger seat messing with the radio and Kairi was in the back in a car seat. 

“Any-way you want it, that's the way you need it, any way you want it!” they both sang loudly. 

She snickered, shaking her head, “Only you would teach our son a song from a billion years ago.” 

“Hey, that's _classic_ ” he scowled. 

“Sing mama!” 

“She said hold on, hold on, hold on-n-n” Gwen sang rather absently and dryly. 

Kyo smirked, “Your mama's no fun.” 

“Hey” she pouted. 

Biting her lip as she turned into the long driveway that was the Douglas home, she felt her stomach knot. God, if her parents acted even a quarter as nutty as they did the last she saw them, she'd never ever speak to them again. This was the breaking or fixing point. 

Pulling up near the house, taking a deep breath, she leaned over and kissed Kyo lovingly, “Stay here until I come get you.” 

“Why?” he blinked, confused. 

“I have to talk to them first” she murmured. 

Kyo frowned but nodded and she sighed, stepping out of the rent-a-car. Hugging her arms, she wandered to the front door and knocked. Gwen gasped as the servants answered and looked her over, puzzled, before she quickly smiled, “Uh, hi, Macy, Manda.” 

They jumped this time before gushing over how different she looks but that she looked so healthy and that they were thankful, letting her in. Gwen smiled at them and nodded, thanking them. She was growing nervous. The two led her towards the living room and Gwen swallowed a lump in her throat. Her parents. 

Both drinking tea, chatting, Lane looked up, puzzled, before the man jumped to his feet, startled. Kano glanced at her, shocked as well. Gwen shuffled her feet, glaring around. “Uh, hey.” 

“Gwen, you're...you're back...” the man rasped. 

Her mother kind of leered at her and she rolled her eyes but gasped as her father picked her up. “I'm so sorry! I never meant to hurt you!” 

Alarmed, Gwen blushed, “It's...it's cool, dad. Well, not really, but...” 

He set her down and looked her over, “You're so tan and thin. Did you eat well in South America?” 

“Yes, very well” she nodded. 

Gwen glanced at Kano whose lips were pursed, messing with her cell phone. Glowering a bit, Gwen crossed her arms. “I, uh, have a surprise for you guys.” 

Lane blinked, “Oh, a present?” 

“Well, not really. Just a surprise” she laughed slowly before growing serious, “But I want you to promise me something first.” 

Kano spared her a glance and Lane nodded slowly as she took a deep breath, “Accept my husband, once and for all. I'm finished with school, I had a major experience, I'm going to be doing what I've always wanted to do, and we're doing just fine. I don't want you insulting him anymore. I'd...I'd be lost without him. And I hate that you guys say those awful things about him, he's a part of me now.” 

Gwen felt saddened but Lane sighed miserably, “I...I know. I had wanted to apologize afterwards, it was horrible for me to say those things to him. I just was worried about my child.” 

Gwen softened a bit, “I understand that, dad, but no more. You have to know that I do know what's best for me at this point.” 

Kano sniffed and Gwen leered, “So what's it going to be, mom?” 

“You won't make me agree to anything!” Kano scoffed, “Not for some _surprise_.” 

“ _Kano_ ” Lane hissed. 

Gwen crossed her arms and grunted, “Fine, I'll be leaving then.” 

“Gwen!” Lane gasped before glaring at his wife, “You have been worried sick about Gwen and now that she's back, you're acting crazy! Stop it! I'm sick of it! You're not losing our daughter over your foolishness anymore!”   
  


Kano stiffened and Gwen cocked a brow as the woman stood, kneading her hands, “I...I don't want you to go away again like that then. I'll...I'll accept Kyo since you're so dead set on him but I swear to God, no gallivanting in the jungle anymore!” 

Gwen groaned and rubbed her brow, “We might go for visits but yes, long two year journeys aren't in our future.” 

Kano looked relieved before looking her over, “You do look healthy though. How is that possible?” 

Gwen smirked, “It was good living, mother, even if you would have died.” 

Kano sniffed haughtily, “I'll have you know I used to rough it with my siblings in the outback all the time!” 

“First I've heard about it” snickered Lane. 

She elbowed him and Gwen chuckled. The woman darted over to her and hugged her tightly before pulling away, wiping at her eyes, “So where is this surprise?” 

“Ah, one second” she smiled, grabbing her cell phone and calling Kyo to inform him she was ready for him to come in. 

Kano and Lane blinked as Gwen scurried to the front door to let him in, now really excited. Oh, this might go well even though her mother might turn on her again and freak that this was a sealed deal. She paused and gave that more thought before groaning. Ugh! 

Opening the door regardless, she blinked and whined, disappointed, “Oh no...” 

Kyo smiled at her, Kairi rested against his shoulder as he slept rather heavily, “He was out like a light as soon as you left.” 

She petted his hair to see if he'd rise for a moment but no go. She pouted but Kyo chuckled, “Even if he's exhausted, he really isn't going to nap for long. Twenty minutes at most. He'll catch up on sleep tonight.” 

Gwen sighed though agreed, grasping his hand and leading him towards the living room. Her parents were sitting again and Lane opened his mouth, as if to apologize, possibly, but faltered. 

“Hey guys” Kyo greeted, “Here's our surprise.” 

Kano squeaked in a rather shocked tone, flying to her feet. Gwen smiled and took Kairi from Kyo, the baby mumbling a little but dozing back off. “Mama, papa, this is Yagami Kairi, our son.” 

“Oh!!” rasped Kano loudly, rushing towards her. 

“He was awake the entire flight” Kyo informed, “So he's taking a little catnap.” 

“Oh, my grandbaby!” Kano sobbed, taking him from her, “I can't believe this! What happened?” 

Gwen and Kyo exchanged a nervous grin and Gwen coughed, “Uh, let's not really get into the _technical_ details but we decided it'd be okay to have one. And I'm really glad that Kyo kind of helped convince me.” 

“She decided” Kyo amended, “But I'm glad she made that decision. He's my little buddy.” 

Kano was sitting on the couch, gazing at him as she cradled him in her arms, amazed, “Oh! And he's such a pretty little thing!” 

Lane was rather silent, Gwen noticed, and smiled at him since he seemed disgruntled. “Surprised, daddy?” 

“A little” he coughed after a moment, “I, uh, really thought you were resolute in not having a baby but...wow.” 

Gwen laughed, “I really was, dad. But like I said, things kind of changed.” 

“Is he healthy? Has he been to a doctor yet? Where did you give birth?” Kano suddenly questioned. 

Gwen pulled Kyo to sit in the recliner, sitting on his knee as he rubbed her back, “Kairi developed really fast and all the doctors said he's quite healthy in the village. We're going to have Kyo's grandpa check him out. I gave birth like those in the village.” 

Kano didn't seem happy about that and Lane frowned, “Well, why don't we get you two checked up now? I can call your old doctor.” 

“Might be a good idea, baby” Kyo murmured to her. 

Gwen sighed, “Maybe later. Right now, I feel great though a little starved.” 

“Ah! Of course” Lane clapped, “We'll have something made for the occasion.” 

Gwen watched him walk off before smiling at her mother who was holding Kairi like he was the holy grail. “Mama, set him down. He'll get rested up faster that way.” 

“Oh pooh” the woman muttered but resigned, setting him on the couch and covering him with the throw. “I suppose I should see to dinner. Your father seems to go a little overboard.” 

Nodding in agreement, her and Kyo stood to follow. Kano glanced at them, confused, “Won't he be upset if he wakes up and finds no one here?” 

“Oh no, he'll be fine” Gwen assured. 

“Okay...” 

Sitting in the kitchen at the table, Gwen felt relaxed and content for the first time in a long while. Her parents were ecstatic, of course, and though her father continued to express his slight horror at her having a child so randomly, he was quite excited to finally have a boy of sorts. It'd probably crushed him that his family of quarterbacks and football players was foiled by him having two girls. Course, to the best of her knowledge, football wasn't quite as hyped up in Japan. 

Kyo glanced at his phone and sighed, “I should call my dad and tell him we're coming home soon.” 

“Oh yea!” Gwen frowned. They didn't have a house either. Ugh, that should be fun. 

Kano looked horrified, “Not _too_ soon, I hope! I want to have a little time with my grandchild! I didn't think I'd ever have one!” 

Kyo chuckled, “We'll probably leave next Monday.” 

“Wonderful!” Kano clapped, “Oh! I can't wait to spoil him!” 

Gwen sulked, “Mother...” 

“Mama! Daddy!” 

They jumped a little, the grandparents, but Kyo and Gwen just kind of smirked as Kairi called to them, over and over. Of course, they could tell he was doing that just because he liked the echo the big house made. 

“He can talk!” Kano gasped. 

Gwen snickered, “Yea, he's a regular chatterbox once you get him going.” 

“We're in here, Kairi” Kyo called. 

Kairi peeked into the doorway, his purple eyes wide, amazed. Kano gasped again. 

“And he can walk too!” 

Gwen laughed and scooped her child up, kissing him lovingly, “Did you sleep well?” 

Kairi nodded and Gwen turned him so he was looking at the weepy Kano, “Kairi, this is your grandma and that's your grandpa. Can you say 'hello'?” 

“Hello, grandma and grandpa!” 

“Oh! You're so darling!” Kano sobbed, taking him from Gwen. 

Lane finally walked over, seeming perplexed, and Kano chatted with him to the best of his abilities. Kyo chuckled and Gwen was pretty...pleased? That just seemed odd when it was in regard to her parents. Sighing, she sat down beside Kyo who kissed her forehead. 

“See? Home's not so bad.” 

“No” she smiled. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kyo let out a breath as he walked out of the shower. Oh, how he missed having an actual shower. 

Reaching for a towel, he groaned. And her parents had the further luxury of towel warmers. This was too amazing. 

Walking out of the bathroom in the pool house, he smiled as his wife gazed out the window at the main house. “I think I should go get him.” 

“Why? He really likes your parents” Kyo frowned, patting his hair. 

She sighed, “I know but I'm thinking maybe we're forgiving them too easily. I mean, this could all be one huge plot. And don't say that's crazy, they almost kidnapped me on my wedding day.” 

He sighed as well and walked towards her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, “The only risk we have is your mother running off with him because she doesn't want him to ever leave. Besides, what were we going to say? 'No, we're not sure we trust you' when she asked if he could sleep with them?” 

“I suppose not” she groaned before turned her face to kiss his jaw, “You smell good.” 

“Less earthy, I'd assume” he snickered. 

“I liked that scent too” she pouted, “You know, we haven't been alone in a long, long time...” 

He grinned lazily, turning her to kiss him, “I like the way you think...” 

Gwen smiled faintly as he stretched out on the bed, “We, uh, have condoms this time, right?” 

He laughed, “Yea,let's not make that error again.” 

Pulling the shirt over her head she'd worn after her shower, she grudgingly remembered that she kept condoms here back in the day though they may have been cleaned out. Opening the stand, she groaned. Nope. 

Grabbing one, she cocked a brow, “...Did we ever figure out if condoms expire?” 

“I'm pretty sure as long as it doesn't have a bunch of holes in it, it'll be fine” he snickered. 

She smirked at him, opening it and looking it over, “Looks good from what I can tell.” 

Rolling it out on top of him, she leaned over and kissed him warmly, “I'm starting to feel a little bad about leaving South America like that again, baby.” 

He sighed, rubbing her back, “Don't worry, I have a surprise for you tomorrow to make it better.” 

“...?” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX   
  


“Oh my God, we're sleeping in a bed.” 

Gwen's eyes fluttered open and grimaced as the sun beamed in hard through the window. Woah. Looking down at her husband who was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, he looked rather intrigued. Gwen yawned, rubbing her eyes. 

“I liked our bed in the village.” 

“Yea, well, it still doesn't compare to this. Our bodies definitely knew the difference, it's already after one o'clock.” 

Gwen's eyes snapped to the alarm clock, shocked, “Oh my God, I never sleep that long!” 

“Me either” he yawned, sitting up before wrapping his arms around her naked body, “But then, I think we wore each other out.” 

She blushed and pouted as he kissed her neck, “Still...oh! Kairi!” 

Kyo yelped as she yanked away, dashing for the bathroom. He caught himself on his elbows and looked after her with a sulky moue. “I never thought I'd get to say this but you're _such_ a mama.” 

Sticking out her tongue, she waved a finger, “Come and shower with me so it won't waste time and water.” 

“Oh, but I don't mind” he quickly amended, following her. 

She snickered and after having a little tryst, she worriedly skipped out of the house. Oh, please don't have kidnapped her baby! 

“Two wenty-two! Two wenty-two! Hut!” 

Gwen stopped, shocked, and Kyo stood there, wide-eyed, as Kairi growled, tackling Lane's leg with all his might like the little guy though he'd actually move his hulking grandfather. 

“Uh, dad?” Gwen said after a moment. 

Lane looked up at that as he'd been spurring Kairi on. Kairi gasped, stopping his assault, “Daddy! Mama!” 

He pranced over to them, Kyo scooping him up, and both of them kissing him 'hello'. Lane sighed, “I was honing his quarter back skills but he apparently prefers tackling.” 

Gwen laughed and Kairi scurried back over, taking the cute miniature football, and getting into stance, “Two wenty-two! Hut!” 

He tossed the football backwards over his head then tackled Lane. Kyo laughed, “Well, he's almost on the right track. He just has to throw the ball in the right direction.” 

“Absolutely!” Lane said, clearly hyped, picking up the boy, “You'll be grandpa's football player, won't you?” 

“Yea!” 

Gwen couldn't help but smile and feel almost teary. They were getting along so well. About to question where her mother was, the woman in question appeared suddenly, “Kairi, darling!” 

Kairi skipped over to her rather diligently and she pressed a cute little shirt to him. “Oh! It's perfect!” 

She then pulled out a book and opened it, “Which color do you like, Kairi? The blue space ship or the red?” 

“Mother! Don't spoil him” scowled Gwen. 

Kano scoffed, “I am his grandmother, that is my supreme duty!” 

Kairi pointed to the red and she clapped, grabbing Lane, “Come darling! Let's go get this for him!” 

“Can't we send someone?” he said, confused, “I have to teach him how to intercept!” 

“Oh, that can wait! Besides, I'm sure they want to do some things with him too! But I want him back later!” Kano exclaimed, nearly darting away. 

Kyo chuckled at the aggravated look on his wife's face, “Well, they really are pretty excited about him.” 

“Yea” she groaned. 

He grinned, “And know who else would be too?”   
  


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“After how insane her parents were at her freakin' wedding, why are we meeting here?” 

Rachel Marrow, Marissa Greene, Michelle Yates-Duvall with her daughter Angie and new daughter Sheila, and Shelly Calford walked towards the cafe grudgingly. Marissa sighed, “Because he sent a message that he had some shocking news about Gwen. It could be bad!” 

“Oh! I hope not!” Michelle cried, “That'd be horrible!” 

Shelly rolled her eyes, “Way to blackmail us into it though.” 

“Well, _I'd_ say it's shocking news!”   
  


They jumped, surprised, before gasping as Kyo appeared behind them, wearing a huge pair of Oakley sunglasses, with a grin, “Ladies.” 

“Ah!” 

After mass attacking him, they squealed, “Oh my God! You're home!! It hasn't been two years yet, has it?” 

“No, not yet” he sighed, “But we decided to leave early after some weird incidences but we're home now!” 

Marissa clapped, excited, “This is great! Where's Gwen?” 

Kyo sighed, “Well, she's a little self-conscious. She really changed and thinks you guys may judge her.” 

“What a twit” snorted Shelly, “Where is she so I can talk some sense into her?” 

He opened his mouth but paused when Angie tugged at the corner of his shirt. Michelle cocked a brow, “What are you doing, silly?” 

“Aww, she remembers Uncle Kyo, doesn't she?” cooed Kyo. 

The little girl entwined her hands in front of he cutely, looking rather coy, and he laughed, picking her up, “Oh, I want a little girl!” 

Michelle laughed with a sigh, “They're more work than they're worth.” 

“I doubt it” he snickered, “Gwen's actually by the fountain over there, entertaining someone.” 

They all gasped, looking to the elaborate fountain in the shopping center, “Ah!” 

All of them rushing over, Kyo followed, Angie still in his arms, smiling. Well, this should be interesting. 

“Gwen!” they all exclaimed. 

Gwen looked up, wearing a cute striped sundress, squealed, “Oh my God, guys!” 

“Oh my God, I'd kill for that tan!” 

“You're so thin!” 

“We missed you!” 

“Wow, did your boobs get bigger? 

“ _Shelly_!”   
  


Kyo laughed, his brows furrowing. He noticed that a lot of women, at least the ones in his life, had conversations like this. If they talked to men in such disconnected thoughts, they'd get confused. Gwen looked content before sticking her tongue out at him. “Was this the surprise?” 

“Well, kind of. I knew we'd have to tell them eventually that we're here but I thought it'd be nice to round them up now” he winked. 

“Oh, this is so awesome! And you came to visit here for a change too!” Michelle clapped, “Come on, let's go grab a bite to eat!” 

Kyo set Angie down for a moment, “Well, looks like _someone_ let a certain _other_ someone go swimming so I have to go change them.” 

They all blinked at him, confused, and Gwen looked sheepish, “I thought we were just hanging out! I wouldn't have let him play in the water if I'd known you'd called my friends!” 

“Uh huh. Kairi, food!”   
  


Like clockwork, the small child, who'd actually made friends with other playing children already, pranced out of the water, his brown hair soaked and his little pants in the same state. At least she took his shirt off, Kyo snickered. 

“Oh my God!!”   
  


All the girls were in hysterics and questioning madly 'what was going on?' Gwen laughed, blushing, “This is my baby, Kairi.” 

They, naturally, spazzed. 

Kyo chuckled, snatching the boy up as they seemed ready to pounce on him. “Let me get him dried off” he quickly said before grinning at Kairi who looked betrayed and irritated with him, “And _after_ I get you changed, we're going to eat.” 

He winked before wandering back to the car. Shelly and the girls grabbed Gwen, dragging her to sit on the corner of a nearby fountain, looking pretty shocked. 

“Gwen! Oh my _Gawd,_ you had a baby?!” 

“Yea” she sighed, “Kyo and I got really, really drunk at a festival and this asswipe guy that got supplies for us didn't get us condoms sooo...” 

“So he wasn't planned...” Marissa frowned, “I mean, you haven't wanted a baby forever, Gwen.” 

Michelle crossed her arms, “I don't know. Gwen has that mama look like she's changed her mind a bit.” 

Gwen laughed softly, admitting affectionately, “I love him to death. I mean, I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't gotten pregnant and gone on with my life but that I have him, I can't be more happy.” 

“Wow...” Shelly said, staring at her with her chin rested in her palm, “That's so weird.” 

Gwen stuck out her tongue and Michelle laughed, sending the gesture at all the confused friends as well, “None of you have children, you wouldn't understand!” 

“Perhaps not” chuckled Rachel. 

Kyo returned, Kairi wearing some new clothes, his hair a fluttery mess now but still as cute as a button. Setting him on his feet, Kairi scurried over to Gwen, tugging on the end of her dress. 

“Mama, food?” 

Shelly laughed, “Aww, that's _definitely_ his daddy.” 

Gwen smirked, “Definitely. Baby, say 'hello' again for mommy to her friends?” 

Kairi turned around in the little circle, blinking, “Hello, mama's friends!” 

“Ah! He's so precious!” gasped Rachel. 

Michelle frowned and Marissa seemed perplexed, “Is he just...small? I mean, he seems really developed for his age.” 

Kyo grunted, lifting the boy, waving them on, “We think since we were in the South America environment, he was more prone to development. He's only eight months.” 

“Doesn't he fall a lot?” Marissa asked, intrigued. 

“Not really, actually” Gwen admitted, fixing his pant leg almost fretfully. 

“He talks really clearly. I've heard three years old talk more garbled than he does” Shelly commented, “But oh! He has your eyes, Gwen!” 

“But he got my boyish good looks” Kyo sighed airily. 

They laughed, elbowing him as Gwen smirked, walking into a restaurant. Kyo opened the menu and let Kairi look at it, “What would you like, buddy?” 

“Nuggets!” 

Kyo cocked a brow and smirked, looking around at the upper crust fancy pants kind of place before he chuckled, “No.” 

Michelle giggled, “Angie likes the ravioli.” 

“Ooh, he would like that” Kyo stroked his chin. 

Gwen snorted, “He likes everything. But jeez, Michi, when'd you have the new edition?” 

“Oh, she's four months” she sighed, glancing as Angie played with the napkin,“As unexpected as this one was.” 

Kyo chuckled, “They're both gorgeous.” 

“So any more good news?” Gwen asked, taking Kairi and tucking a napkin down the front of his shirt. 

Rachel held out her hand, “I'm engaged!” 

“Ah! Congratulations! So I guess that means you made up with Mitch, right?” Gwen rasped. 

Rachel's eyes rolled around with a bit of a grin, “Uh, no, I'm marrying Trey.” 

“... _What?_ How'd _that_ happen?” 

Rachel sighed, “I really cared about Mitchell, don't get me wrong. But he was consistently standing me up and come to find out he was standing me up with _Lacey_. And you know ,once again, she shocked me because she was horrified and thought that we were broken up because that's what Mitchell told her! She broke up with him too.” 

“Jeez, what happened to him?” Gwen rolled her eyes, “But Trey?” 

“Oh! He saw me one day waiting for that jackass and he sat with me while I waited then it just kind of turned into a common thing. So I got interested in dating him so I went to break up with Mitch and found all that out” she remarked with a shake of her head, “But yea, wedding's going to be in February.” 

“Well, congrats, Rachel” Kyo smiled though Gwen still appeared confused. Glancing at Marissa, he pressed his fingertips together, “Now you, young lady...” 

Marissa laughed, “I _am_ seeing someone.” 

“Would I approve?” Kyo leered. 

Gwen elbowed him and Marissa grinned, “I think so. I think he'd even meet Gwen's approval.” 

“I don't know, it took me a million years to meet a fifth of Gwen's approval” Kyo stroked his chin. 

The girls laughed, Gwen leering at him before she clapped, “When everyone's free, we should all go to dinner and have a quadruple date though.” 

“Absolutely!” Shelly agreed, “We're all actually going to see a movie later. Are you two free tonight?” 

Gwen frowned, cocking a brow and looking to her husband, “You think mama will want to take care of Kairi for tonight?” 

“Are you kidding? She already said she wanted him back in an hour. We're pushing it as is” he snickered. 

Marissa laughed, “That's right, Kano always did want a grandkid, didn't she?” 

“Oh yes” she groaned, “She's buying him a space ship as we speak.” 

Shelly grinned as Kairi gasped, nibbling at the complimentary bread contently, “He's so adorable. I knew you'd have sexy babies.” 

Kyo laughed, handing him across the table to a surprised Shelly, “Oh, I'm sucky with kids, ask Michi.” 

“She really is” Michelle groaned. 

Kyo chuckled, “He's okay either way.” 

Shelly sighed and took him, the boy still eating his bread contently, sitting him in her lap, “How's it going, kid?” 

“Good!” 

“Oh, he's so cute!” 

Gwen smiled as he was passed from friend to friend and Kyo played with Angie. So okay, she missed her friends a lot too. And now, she was going on a date. 

It was good being home. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“You two are _so_ bad!” 

Gwen flustered as she sat in the back seat of Roy's SUV and Kyo grinned lazily, “Sorry, something about an alien shooting people made me want to make out suddenly.” 

Marissa laughed, “Well, you two haven't really had a moment alone lately, have you?” 

Roy Duvall, Michelle's husband and current driver, grinned, “I wouldn't call a crowded movie theater 'alone' either.” 

“Well, the ending was good though I had no idea what was going on” Kyo stroked his chin, gazing out the window. 

“Go figure” Michelle teased. 

“So where's your guy, Mari?” Gwen blushed, scowling and changing the subject. 

Marissa sighed, “I think he's out of work now. He said he'll meet us at dinner.” 

“I could really go for some booze” Kyo suddenly commented. 

“I'm totally down” Shelly agreed. 

Bobby, her boyfriend, smirked at her and Kyo yanked out his phone, “Well, while I'm sober, I guess I'll call my dad.” 

Gwen opened her mouth to tell him to call his brother and sister too when it hit her. 

“...Where the hell is Sara?” she suddenly demanded. 

Kyo blinked at her, the phone pressed to his ear, before his brows furrowed, “Now that you mention it, we really haven't seen or heard anything about her.” 

“Well, she is 24, y'know? She's not going to check in with mom and dad daily” Rachel pointed out. 

“I suppose that's true” Gwen ceded. 

...Except something still seemed a little off about that. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Look baby! Here's a pool for you to swim in!” 

Gwen smiled as she sauntered out on the deck, wearing a white string bikini, setting her lemonade on the table, Kairi in her other arm in his little swimmers diaper and blue trunks. 

Sinking down on the edge, dipping her feet in, she laughed as Kairi dove right in. It was so sweet watching him swim. He was so cute and adorable and good at it. Sinking in, she smiled when he swam to her and gave her a kiss. “Oh, you're mommy's sweetie, you know that?” 

Kyo had gone to handle some business with the flight and whatnot and now they were just biding their time. Her mother had a quick meeting somewhere but was apparently going to 'take her babies shopping' when she got back, much to Gwen's chagrin. They were going to have so much to send back to Japan. 

She couldn't really wait to go back to Japan either. It struck her that she had three places she considered home: here, South America, and Japan. She wanted to see Roomi and Kurt and Joe and Hotaru and _everyone_. She smiled, wondering what the former would say now that 'Ms. Blonde had gotten knocked up'. 

“I swim like fwish, mommy! Mommy swim too!” Kairi declared in a delighted tone. 

Gwen chuckled. Him and Kyo were the swimmers back in the village. She had been a bit of a germaphobe about it though so Kairi probably assumed she couldn't... 

“...Mommy, huh?” 

Gwen stiffened. 

Hoping, praying, her ears were tricking her, she slowly looked over her shoulder. 

Blake. 

Standing there in a shirt and tie, he almost looked respectable, scum that he was. Gwen swallowed, hissing, and almost grabbed Kairi but he swam away, oblivious and humming happily. Grumbling, she climbed out of the pool by herself. Whatever. She'd kill this bastard if he tried anything this time. 

His arms were crossed and he looked her over rather absently, “Well damn, tits and tanned. Sexy as always.” 

“What the _hell_ do you want, Blake?” she demanded. 

Surprisingly, or maybe not, he suddenly held a towel out to her. She glared angrily at him but he pushed it forward a little more. Snatching it away, she wrapped it around her body. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at Kairi who was swimming his little heart out. 

“I can't believe you have a kid” he muttered after a moment, “You really have changed, haven't you?” 

She opened her mouth to demand what he wanted _again_ but paused at his words. What? “Yea. Yea I have.” 

Blake pursed his lips and rubbed his brow, “What do I want? I wanted to know if your sister was here.” 

Oh great. “Why?” she demanded. 

“It really has nothing to do with you” he muttered. 

Gwen snarled, “If you're trying to get with my sister, Blake, I swear to God--” 

He barked out a laugh, interrupting, “You give me too little credit sometimes, Gwen, you always have. I don't want your sister but you know, sometimes, things just happened. I sent her flowers and a card, apologizing for my negligence--” 

“What did you do?!” she hissed. 

“I was at a bar with some clients. I was drinking, they left, she showed up, she drank, I bought her a drink, we slept together, okay? It was just an accidental tryst” he muttered. 

Gwen didn't believe it. “It's never accidental with you!” 

“Gwen, is she here or not?” he asked, actually sounding exasperated. 

“No, she's not. I've been here a week and I haven't seen her once” she grunted grudgingly. 

He rubbed his brow, looking like he had a headache, and she finally dared, “Why?” 

“Like I said--” 

“And I really don't give a damn, Blake. Why? If it was a one-night stand, why are you here now looking for her?” she snapped. 

He licked his lips before rolling his eyes, reaching into his pocket, and pulling out his phone. Clicking something on the smartphone, he held it up and words blared from it. 

“You better call me back, f—ker, or I'll ruin your ass!” 

Gwen cocked a brow and he played over three dozen _similar_ messages. “Well...Sara does get a little obsessive. Did you call her back or are you actually being sensible for once?” 

“I was trying to be 'sensible' as you put it. I ignored her, blocked her and then she got a new number or someone else's phone. She used Twitter, Skype, Facebook. We're all too damned connected sometimes, I tell you” he grumbled, “But when I finally get irked enough to call her, she doesn't pick up! Or answer! Or anything and these calls are driving me _nuts_! She's even started to call and leave Grave's Incorporated threatening messages. I can't let her interrupt people at work over pettiness!” 

Gwen crossed her arms, “Why Blake, that almost sounded responsible and caring. Too bad I know you're an insensitive heartless bastard.” 

He groaned, clenching the roots of his hair, “Gwen, I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I slept with your sister all those years ago, I'm sorry I said all those things, I'm sorry, sorry, sorry.” 

“And that's supposed to be enough?” she demanded, enraged, “You tried to _rape_ me, you asshole!” 

“And I guess I'm supposed to have an excuse for that? Like there's ever an excuse for _that_ ” he muttered. 

...For some reason those words left her excessively stunned. 

Cracking his knuckles absently, he shrugged, “I was on a lot of drugs and whatever, Gwen, I wasn't exactly 'thinking'. I just knew that I was losing something that had always been mine for a long time to someone else and I didn't like it. I'm a Graves, we do all we can to get what's ours back.” 

“I was never yours” she said shortly. 

“You were mine” he snorted, “We were engaged, remember? We were supposed to go to UCLA and get an apartment together. You were mine like you're your husband's, whatever the hell his name is.” 

Gwen sucked her cheek. She'd fallen for this before, hadn't she? He was good at playing the 'I changed' card. But... 

“Whatever though. Nothing to be done for it now” he shrugged simply, 

“It's not the Graves' way to give up so easily” she remarked sarcastically. 

Blake sighed, glancing at Kairi again, “Well, this Graves knows when he's beaten. Just make sure not to go around my dad because he's not as good a sport.” 

She frowned. Her guard was still up, she was ready for a fight, but Blake took a piece of paper out of his pocket and a pen, scribbling something down. “Please, if you see Sara before you go back to wherever you're tomb raiding, give this to her. I'm trying to resolve whatever but she's being absurdly difficult.” 

“I don't 'tomb raid', dumbass” she snickered despite herself, “But I'll give it to her.” 

“Thanks. And you do look pretty damn hot. Are you sure you're happy with that guy?” 

Gwen leered, “Very.” 

“...Fine. Take care of yourself, Gwen.” 

Watching him go, almost gaping, she had to admit that in all the years they'd been together, that may have been the least confrontational that bastard had _ever_ been with her. Ever. 

... 

What was Sara doing? She slept with him _again_? Just like that? Ugh, that girl... 

“Hey little buddy! Look at that, a pool! Are you having fun?” 

Gwen glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Kyo as Kairi giggled, reaching for him. Kyo picked him up at ease and grinned, “What is up with my babies?” 

Gwen accepted his loving kiss and sighed, “Blake came by.” 

“... _What_?” 

She grimaced as Kyo instantly looked furious, “What the hell did _he_ want?” 

“I don't know, it involves Sara though.” 

“That bastard.” 

Gwen sighed, taking Kairi and releasing him to play again. She shrugged, “I know you'll hate to hear it but he was actually rather pleasant.” 

“ _Pleasant_?” 

She sighed again, “I know but he really didn't get all crazy or anything. He even apologized for his past behavior.” 

He stared at her a moment before he sighed himself and kissed her temple, “If you think it's okay, fine. But be careful, okay? Believe it or not, you try to find the best in people and sometimes it's just not there.” 

Gwen nodded softly, grasping one of his belt loops, “So are you going to come swim with me and your baby?” 

“Of course” he grinned after a moment, “Though I have to say, the bikini isn't leaving much to the imagination and that jerk off saw it, didn't he?” 

“Well, he can't _completely_ change, he had to comment on it a little” she rolled her eyes. 

He rolled his too before playfully smacking her ass, “Well, I would have thought it strange if he didn't. Let me go change into my bathing suit. Be right back!” 

She smiled after him and wondered when everything started to work out. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Ugh, I should make my parents pay for shipping fees!” 

Yagami Kyo laughed as he forced the suitcase shut, shaking his head a little before 'wooh'ing'. “They did go a tad overboard, didn't they?” 

“I was worried we'd have to go buy Kairi a load of clothes but my mother and her friends took care of that” Gwen sulked. 

Kairi was currently outside with his grandfather, practicing his pass rush, whatever that meant. Gwen was pretty sure Kairi was doing something wrong as no seen progression was made but Lane just laughed. 

“I feel bad suddenly” she remarked, staring out the window. 

“That we live like a day away? Yea” he chuckled some, finishing up their luggage. 

“You know, I really didn't think my parents would change how they thought of you or anything but, I mean, they were really nice to you” she bit her lip, “And I just...I'm not sure if I can accept that it was just because of Kairi. What if he wasn't born?” 

“I think they would have come to accept it, Gwen” he murmured, hugging her from behind, “You're their daughter and they'd come to realize that this is what you want.” 

“I suppose” she remarked with a sigh. 

He rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing, “Any word from Sara?” 

“Nope” she muttered, “I'm not worried though. I'm sure she's just acting ridiculous for whatever reason.” 

Kyo sipped some water and frowned at that reasoning before blinking, glancing outside, “Oh hey, speak of the devil.” 

Gwen blinked and looked out the window before rolling her eyes, “There she is, God! And we're leaving in a few hours!” 

Her husband kissed her temple, “We'll try to get in another visit. Let's go say 'hey'.” 

Sighing, she took his hand as they wandered down the steps towards where they'd seen her. She was standing near her father who was scowling at her pretty deeply, their mother looking blanched and mortified. Uh oh... 

Sara was staring down at Kairi before sulkily glowering at Gwen, “So yet _another_ something you changed your mind about, huh? 

Gwen glowered, “Stop being so bitter! That's your nephew!” 

“Yea, yea” she muttered, glaring away. 

Kano suddenly buried her face in her hands and sobbed, “Oh! How'd I raise such an irresponsible daughter?!” 

“Whatever!” barked Sara. 

Gwen rolled her eyes, “Seriously! You were involved with _Blake_. Why?” 

Sara opened her mouth to yell but suddenly faltered and turned a weird shade of...green. Covering her mouth, she rushed inside. Lane swallowed, pursing his lips. “I apologize for my ignorance, Kyo. Actually thinking at any small point that that little bastard was better is inconceivable.” 

“Uh, what?” Kyo blinked. 

Kano suddenly wept, “She's pregnant!” 

... 

Apparently not everything had changed for the better. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kairi and Kyo sing “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon and “Anyway You Want It” by Journey. And Kairi sings De Colores to the village men XD


	24. Lesson Twenty-Four

“Oh my God, we’re home.” 

Yagami Gwen glanced at her husband as they drove through the streets of Japan, around 8 p.m. She looked to their son next, nibbling on a pocky stick contently, and smiled wistfully. “Yea.” 

“ _I mean, duh, I’m going to keep it!”_

_It was one horrible moment and she hated Sara because she somehow had made her feel bad for Blake, of all people. The guy was sitting on the couch, the blood drained from his face as he gazed at the coffee table. Pursing and sucking his lip, he visibly swallowed before clearing his throat:_

“… _Okay.”_

_Sara leered at him, “Just like that?”_

“ _Well I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to” he muttered, rubbing his eyes. “Ugh, totally wrong sister to knock up...”_

_Kyo glared at him and Gwen rolled her eyes, “Sara, are you really sure about this? I mean, I hope you know this jerk-off isn’t going to marry you or anything which I hope you don't want, actually.”_

_Blake looked pretty alarmed, “Wha?!”_

“ _Of course I do” Sara said simply._

_Blake’s jaw nearly hit the ground, “Look, I will like, pay out of pocket for this kid’s life and I can have it’s entire college fund prepared by tomorrow but I am not marrying you! That’s effin’ ridiculous!”_

_Sara snorted indelicately, “You should give up on Gwen, y’know? She’s even spawned now.”_

_Gwen sulked at her and Blake muttered, “I’m not that dumb, thanks. Doesn’t mean I’m going to go off and marry just anybody.”_

“ _I’m having your child!”_

_Blake threw his hands up, “And that’s just great! It was a one night stand kind of thing, Sara. One night. We’d be divorced before the ink dries on the marriage paper!”_

_Sara looked angry, “So what? You think I’ll let you get away with this?”_

_He looked pissed off now, “Get away with what?! You lied to me, y’know?!”_

_Gwen frowned and Sara looked rather indifferent, “Well, you believed me, didn’t you? You shouldn’t trust so easily!”_

_Blake’s lue eyes darkened dangerously and Kyo grunted, “And what’s that?”_

“ _He asked if I was on birth control and I said ‘yes’” she shrugged, “Which, I wasn’t.”_

_Kyo opened his mouth to say something before faltering, his eyes widening and his mouth agape, speechless. Gwen was beyond incredulous. “Sara! My-my God! That’s low, even if it is him!”_

_Blake just looked glum. Lane and Kano were just glaring, irate, before Kano slammed her hand on the table, “I think Sara’s request is perfectly reasonable!”_

_Gwen gaped, “You can’t be serious, mother!”_

“ _A child should have both parents, Gwen” she sniffed shortly before looking to her husband, “Don’t you agree, Lane?”_

“… _I have nothing to say” he said numbly._

“ _Ooh, useless man!”_

“ _Mother, this kind of ‘marriage’ is freakin’ archaic. That’s like something out of an old Victorian movie, the guy impregnating someone then being forced to marry the girl! It doesn’t work. It’s best that a child has two parents but if those two parents hate each other, what the hell’s the point?!” Gwen snapped._

“ _Are you jealous?” Kano suddenly glowered._

_Gwen said without missing a beat, eyes narrowing at her mother’s insinuation, “Not a bit! I just think you guys are being ridiculous!”_

_Kyo rubbed his chin, glancing at her, “Maybe we should let them talk this out? I mean, it’s not like it’s any of our business.”_

_Kano, Lane, and Gwen glared at him but he looked unperturbed, “They got themselves into this mess, they can figure out what to do with it. We’re not helping. They’re adults and this can be resolved between them.”_

_Gwen hissed but realized that, well, he was right. Kyo glanced at his watch, leaning over and whispering in her ear, “You want me to delay our flight? We’re pushing it as it is.”_

“ _No” she said out loud before looking to him, “…No. Let’s go home.”_

_Kano glanced at them as Gwen stuffed her hands in the pockets of her hooded sweater, standing, “Well, we need to get going. I hope you guys the best.”_

_Blake just stared miserably and Sara snorted, “Whatever.”_

_Gwen grabbed Kairi, who was busy sliding across the floor in his socks, and held him up to her mother, “Say ‘bye-bye, grandma’, Kairi.”_

_Kano started to blubber randomly and suddenly grabbed him, hugging him tightly as she kissed his cheeks, “Oh! My little angel! Grandma will miss you!”_

_Kairi giggled, “Miss you grandma!”_

“ _Oh, my little darling!” she cooed, hugging him even tighter._

_Gwen just kind of blinked at this display. Lane sighed, standing and taking the boy, “Don’t kill him!”_

_Kano_ _leered at him and Lane grunted, “Remember our lessons, Kairi. You’re going to be the next greatest football player.”_

“ _Yea!”_

_Gwen smiled a little when her dad gave him a kiss on the forehead and sighed, handing him back to her, “We will definitely be visiting soon.”_

“ _Yes” sobbed Kano, playing with Kairi’s feet._

_Kyo smiled and Gwen nodded, feeling a little teary, “He’ll like that.”_

“ _We'll like that” Kyo amended, taking Kairi and pushing her forward towards her parents, “I’ll be back, let me go get him strapped in.”_

_She nodded and sighed as they both hugged her, “Oh, my little darling has grown up.”_

“ _Duh” snorted Gwen with a smile._

_Lane and Kano walked her towards the door and outside to the side of the SUV. Kano kneaded her hands, “Please come home more often this go-round, dear. California’s your home too, you know?”_

_Gwen nodded softly and smiled as her dad kissed her forehead, “Of course we’ll visit too, as I said.”_

_Lane suddenly grunted, slapping Kyo’s shoulder, sending him teetering a bit, “Well Kyo, I can honestly say for a moment I thought about killing you when Gwen brought in her baby.”_

_Gwen leered and Kyo laughed, “I actually understand that a lot better than you’d think.”_

“ _Well, regardless, you both have a beautiful child and you’re still going” he said with a sigh, “I’m sorry for the way I treated you, especially on the wedding.”_

“ _It’s okay” Kyo said simply, “It’s in the past.”_

“ _Doesn’t make it right!” Lane said haughtily, “And I should apologize to Gwen as well. She’s always made…relatively good decisions.”_

“ _Relatively?” demanded Gwen._

_Kyo grinned at her and Lane sighed, “Well, you and I know that some of your…past decisions haven’t always been great.”_

_Gwen pouted though couldn’t refute it, one of them sitting in the living room as they spoke. Kano kneaded her hands before whispering, “It was so horrible how I was treated, how Lane was treated when we got married. I-I’m sorry that we…we actually became a part of that nonsense. I just always knew that I wanted better for my children and I suppose I couldn’t see she already was doing just fine.”_

_Kyo smiled softly as the woman kissed his cheek, “Both of you take care!”_

Gwen sighed and Kyo glanced at her, “You okay?” 

“I don’t know. I just don’t know if we should have left now.” 

Kyo shrugged softly, “Like I said, it’s not our right to be all up in their business. Let’s just let them work it out.” 

“…I guess you’re right” she admitted with a sigh before glancing at Kairi, “What do you think your dad will say about him?” 

“Oh, it’s hard to say with my dad.” Or any of them. But he smiled happily. 

He was home. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Yagami Kamon wandered around, glaring at Shimizu Kaori who glared back at him. This sucked. 

Shimizu Hoshiko laughed loudly, kicking and kneeing Yagami Jyun as he tickled her, “Come on! You’d totally make an awesome model!!” 

“Shuddap!” 

Yagami Roomi wandered into the room, smirking, holding a tray of cookies, “You two! I was just kidding _anyway_ , Jyun. Maybe I’ll get Jacob to model my new creation at the show.” 

Yagami Keiji snickered, watching Yagami Laura and Yukina Felicie paint their nails, “It’d be pretty freaky anyway.” 

“Whatever” Jyun stuck out his tongue. 

Yagami Nelly wandered in, grunting as he picked up Shimizu Akira, Hoshiko’s newest baby boy, in his arms, the boy squealing and kicking his tiny feet as he kissed him. “Something feels off tonight.” 

“A little” Jyun agreed. 

Hoshiko nodded and Roomi cocked a brow, “Sounds rather paranoid, dearies.” 

Hoshiko laughed softly, “A tad.” 

Nelly handed the baby back to Hoshiko and shrugged, “Ah, well.” 

He looked up when the front door suddenly swung open and stared at Kyo as he randomly waltzed in. “Hiya!!” 

“…What the hell?” 

Hoshiko squealed, launching to her feet, “Kyo!!” 

“Baby sister and her new baby!” Kyo gasped, swinging her around as he hugged her. 

Roomi giggled, skipping over to him and hugging him tightly, “You dilly, why didn’t you tell us you were coming home?!” 

“Surprise. I was going to call dad but he ignored me” Kyo stuck out his tongue. 

Nelly cocked a brow, “Did not!” 

He grunted suddenly before giving him a brief hug, “Oh, all my stupid tanned sons…” 

Jyun snickered and Kyo laughed, patting the man’s back. Jyun stood and hugged him as well, “Man, it’s been _too_ long. No more two year craziness, punk!” 

“Yea, we’re good” grinned Kyo lazily, “Now why are _you_ tanned?” 

Roomi hugged his side, “We went to Italy for like two weeks! It was so amazing!” 

Kamon suddenly sprinted, growling loudly, running towards the door. Kyo’s eyes widened and he snatched him up, “Oi, kid! I know you probably don’t remember me but sheesh, I’m sorry I disgust you so much!” 

“I remember you, Uncle Kyo, and you don’t disgust me…” he said miserably, “I just need to run away.” 

“Aww dang, Jyun, your kid’s already EMO.” 

Jyun smirked and Hoshiko sulked, pointing at Kaori, “Kaori, go play with your sister and stop driving your cousin insane!” 

“He’s driving _me_ insane!” Kaori, three-years-old, countered. 

Roomi cooed, taking Kamon from Kyo and kissed his cheek, “It’s a girl thing, sweetie, you’ll learn to get over it.” 

“Fujiwako doesn’t treat me like that!” 

Kyo cocked a brow, confused once again before glancing down. He gasped loudly again. Shimizu Miyako, now two, was hugging his lower leg before grinning up at him. “Oh my God, button puffin!” 

Hoshiko laughed as he picked her up, hugging her tightly, “Oh! I’ve missed all my nieces and nephews and slightly forgotten all of you!” 

Roomi snickered as Jyun smirked, “Well, have you forgotten your wife too or did she run off with someone in South America?” 

“Oh, she’s exhausted and napping right now. She said she’ll join us later” Kyo grinned, slamming down between Hoshiko and Jyun on the couch. 

Inaba Hotaru and Joe suddenly came in, chatting with Inaba Carrie and Kurt. Hotaru squeaked. “Ah! Kyo?!” 

His grin widened as he handed Miyako back to Hoshiko before standing, hugging the girls and shaking the guy’s hands. This was so awesome. He gasped for the millionth time, amazed, when two-year-old Shen and Ai wandered in at their parent’s feet, appearing sleepy. “Oh my God, they’ve grown so much!” 

Shen stared at him sleepily with green eyes, “Who you?” 

“…” 

“Shen!” 

Jyun laughed, “Oh, that’s remotely depressing…” 

Hotaru looked flustered, “This is Kyo, you silly. You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him! I show you a picture of him with you all the time!” 

Shen just stared at him blankly before shaking his head, “Nah uh.” 

Kyo had to laugh, “Well, I guess I probably looked a lot different in that picture anyway so it’s okay.” 

“Still!” pouted Hotaru. 

Everyone arrived and he realized that even though he’d _said_ that him and Gwen were probably done with the work-study thing, he kind of wondered if he really should give up that line of work. His family even looked so much more different now. And what the hell? Roomi and Julius, Hoshiko’s husband, were half siblings? Where’d that even come from? 

“But yea, that’s everything that’s going on here” Jyun sighed after they’d talked for a few hours. 

“Man…” Kyo frowned, “Nothing really interesting happened with me.” 

Nelly sipped a Heineken and cocked a brow when there was a knock at the door, “That must be your wife, huh?” 

“Maybe.” 

Nelly meandered over, “Weird that she wouldn’t ring though.” 

Opening the door, he frowned when he saw nothing but darkness before looking down. 

“…Uh?” 

“ ‘Ello sir, do you know where my daddy is?” Yagami Kairi said seriously. 

Nelly stared at the child for a moment and cleared his throat, opening the door a bit more, “He’s…in here.” 

Kairi skipped in and Nelly pursed his lips, following the child as he sashayed into the living room as if he knew where he was going. “I guess this isn’t interesting, huh?” 

Everyone frowned and turned before gaping. Kyo blinked before his eyes widened, “Kairi, what are you doing here, man? Where’s your mama?” 

“Outside, daddy!” 

“…Oh my God, you _have_ to be kidding” Jyun gawked. 

Kyo grinned lazily as Kairi, at ease, skipped through the group to him, climbing into his lap, “Yea, here’s my little addition to the already quite large collection.” 

Roomi and all the girls squealed, “Oh my God, I can’t believe it!” 

Kyo felt weirdly proud and glanced to the door when Gwen marched in, looking irritated, “Kairi, I said _stay_ by my feet while I looked for something, not _go_ to the door.” 

Roomi laughed as Kairi looked rather ashamed, standing, “Well, I can see who the discipline force is. I knew you’d get knocked up eventually, blondie!” 

Gwen sighed but chuckled as everyone attacked her with a hug, “Yea, seriously. Kyo would let him get away with murder. And yea, I succumbed.” 

Kyo snickered, kissing his son’s temple, “I don’t think it’s a big deal. He just was looking for his old man.” 

Nelly, standing behind the couch, seeming almost disturbed, cocked a brow, “Seriously, did you tell him to say that?” 

Gwen blanked, “Say what?” 

“Well, if she didn’t tell him to say something, he said it on his own” Kyo remarked, stroking back the boy’s hair. 

Hoshiko cooed, taking him from Kyo, “Oh, hello! What’s your name again?” 

“Kairi!” he proclaimed happily. 

“Well it’s nice to meet you, Kairi. I’m your Aunt Hoshiko” she replied, turning him to Jyun, “And this is your Uncle Jyun!” 

“Wooowwww” Jyun droned, “This is almost freakier than me having a kid, now that I think about it. Or maybe just because it was kind of random?” 

Gwen blushed and smiled as she sat on Kyo’s knee, “He was way unexpected.” 

“Kairi, Akira, and Kamon…” Nelly suddenly echoed. 

Jyun snickered, “We weren’t that creative letter variation wise.” 

Nelly continued to seem rather offstandish for a while before sighing, taking him from Jyun. “So Kairi, how does it feel being in Japan?” 

“Japan?” Kairi echoed, puzzled, “Is that food?” 

Nelly laughed, “Oh God, you’re so your dad’s son.” 

Kyo stuck out his tongue but laughed, “That’s where we are _right_ now, buddy, it’s not food.” 

“Oh” he said, disappointed. 

Nelly chuckled, wandering towards the kitchen, “Let’s see what your Great Aunt Popuri has cooking up.” 

“Kay!” 

Gwen frowned as they walked away, “Is something the matter? Your dad’s acting kind of funny…” 

Kyo frowned, “…Dunno.” 

…Weird. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Okay, my other half, you’ve been acting funny since your son and your surprise grandson got here. What’s wrong?” 

Nelly scowled as his twin brother, Koji Yagami, walked out on the deck. “Nothing’s the matter, Koji.” 

Koji sighed, pressing his palms against the railing, “You can lie to _anyone_ , futago, but you can’t lie to _me_.” 

Nelly sulked at that before a wistful smile crossed his face, “Every time I have a new grandchild, I just can’t help but think of… _her._ I mean, my God, for the longest time, I convinced her we’d probably never even have any but here we are with _six_ now. Fuji, Kam, Kaori, Miyako, Akira, and Kairi.” 

Koji slammed down in a chair, looking thoughtful, “I don’t know what to tell you, man. She made her decision. She should have realized that her kids would probably not _like_ what happened and it’s not your problem that now she can’t see the grandkids she wanted so bad.” 

“I want to tell myself that” Nelly responded silently, “I just can’t get over this guilt I feel some times.” 

Koji was quiet before saying softly, “I don’t think you have anything to feel guilty about at all, Nelly. If being a good husband, provider, and father isn’t enough then I’m not sure what else she wanted.” 

“I…I don’t know” he rasped with a laugh, “You’d think I’d get over this, right? Five years later?” 

“…Nah, I guess it’s easier said than done” Koji remarked with a faint smile. 

“I got it! It’s because Kairi’s not a girl, right?” 

Nelly jumped and glowered behind him as Kyo appeared, Jyun and Hoshiko with him. “Uh, what?” 

Kyo looked sulky, “I’m trying to figure out why you don’t like _my_ baby. If it’s Hoshiko's or Jyun's they’re the best thing since sliced bread but oh, _my_ son? Who cares about him?!” 

Nelly pursed his lips, “Don’t be ridiculous!” 

Koji chuckled and stood, walking back towards the door, “Talk to your kids, dummy.” 

Jyun cocked a brow as he took Koji’s place on the chair, Kyo taking the other as Hoshiko sat beside him on the edge. “What’s up, dad? You have been acting really weird.” 

“It’s nothing” Nelly grumbled, rubbing his brow, “Just that all my knuckleheads have finally grown up.” 

“I mean, duh” Kyo responded. 

Nelly leered at him and Hoshiko giggled, Jyun smiling a bit, “Yea, sorry it took so long. Compared to your nieces and nephews, we were slow as hell.” 

“Nah…” Nelly sighed softly, “I wouldn’t want you guys to have jumped the gun and done anything you didn’t want to before you were ready. Everyone has to go at their own pace.” 

Jyun sucked his cheek before murmuring, “But you’re probably thinking if we’d acted faster then maybe mom wouldn’t have done what she did.” 

Nelly grimaced at that assertion and Hoshiko sniffed irritably, “If _we_ weren’t enough, if common _decency_ wasn’t enough, there was no way in hell our kids would have stopped mother. There’s nothing more to be said for it, daddy. I don’t know what her problem is but we’re all better off without her.” 

Kyo digested that for a moment before shrugging awkwardly, “I hate to say it because I’m probably the only one but I miss my mother from time to time. _My_ mother, not this crazy one that denies our existence.” 

“Sometimes?” Jyun muttered softly, “I miss my mother all the time. I just wish this psycho that took her over would tell us what happened to her.” 

Somehow this conversation bugged Nelly a bit. He hadn’t really realized it but sometimes they did seem to have divided their sweet, saintly, loving mother from this one that had betrayed them. It didn’t seem healthy, in retrospect, but alas, it seemed to get them by so who was he to take that away? 

“They're the same person, guys” Hoshiko stated bitterly, “The same person that used to stay up with us all night when we were sick or would nag us to death about being healthy is also the same person that cheated on our dad. It’s…it’s not really doing any good denying that.” 

Jyun didn’t seem all that bothered about this though Kyo looked oddly troubled. “Maybe you’re right, Hoshiko. Or maybe it’s just simpler to imagine that part of what we knew is still there somewhere.” 

She frowned before relenting, “I guess I do hope for that sometimes. Sorry, dad…” 

Nelly gaped as Jyun and Kyo echoed an apology as well. “For _what_? For wishing that your mother was still a part of your lives? What the hell is that to be sorry for?” 

Kyo tugged his ear, “Well, I mean, you’re still here, you still care for us, you never denied we exist on television. You know, simple things like that. You’re obviously the better parent but here we are occasionally wishing we still had the sucky one.” 

Nelly groaned, “I’ve told you guys before, she’s _still_ your mother. Nothing will ever change that and I wouldn’t even be all that hurt if you decided to go see her.” 

Jyun snorted, “Like that’ll happen.” 

They grunted in unison their agreement and Nelly shook his head. Figured. His kids were so confused. 

“Kairi, what the heck is that?” 

Nelly cocked a brow and looked up. Kairi apparently had found his way onto the deck and was sucking a pacifier. Hoshiko laughed, her brow furrowing as well. “I think that’s Akira’s.” 

Kyo grunted indelicately, snatching it away, “You do not need a pacifier. I think you’ve cried five times in your entire existence.” 

“But _he_ has one!” Kairi pouted. 

“ _He_ is a baby.” 

Jyun snorted, “If he’s only nine months old, Kyo, _he’s_ a baby too.” 

“I wonder why both of your kids have such freakish development” Hoshiko observed, “Like Kamon was having full conversations and walking way early too.” 

Kyo sighed, “I’m going to have to say…their mothers.” 

Jyun just sighed and nodded. Nelly grinned, “I’m glad you two realize that and I didn’t have to point it out.” 

They stuck out their tongues and Nelly chuckled, walking over and picking Kairi up. “…I shouldn’t live in the past so much, should I?” 

“No” Jyun smiled, “We’re living for now, old man! And _now_ you have a bunch of grandkids and are currently tied with Uncle Koji.” 

“Why, I never thought of that” Nelly mused, stroking his chin. 

Hoshiko laughed, “It’s not a competition, you sillies!” 

“Hoshiko, with men, _everything_ is a competition. And currently, I am beating you by one, Kyo” Jyun taunted. 

“The hell you are! I’ll knock Gwen up tonight if I have to!” 

Hoshiko smirked at them and Nelly rolled his eyes but smiled. He missed her. A lot. He missed waking up beside someone, the scent of her breakfasts in the morning before she ran off for work, her company. 

But he supposed he seriously had to get over it now. There was really nothing left and…and she wasn’t coming back to him. 

Nearly five years…the dawn of a new era. 


	25. At the Bar, Part I

“Hey, you there!” 

“I see you over there, I want you over here!” 

Yagami Nerimaru a.k.a. Nelly glared incredulously and exhausted, not sure if this was some nightmare or if he really had spawned complete idiots. 

No, no, there were his two insane sons standing over him, singing. “Hey! How are you doing? We could go see a movie! I heard you were a groupie, just call me next Tuesday!” 

Nelly stared at them before he said simply, “You two must have just had a complete lapse of judgment, rolling into _my_ house into _my_ room while _I_ am asleep. I'll give you a minute to rectify it by which I mean _get out_!” 

“Wait, wait!” Kyo, his youngest and possibly the first to die, proclaimed, “We had an _awesome_ idea, dad!” 

Jyun, his oldest and possibly first to die, nodded, “It's only ten o'clock and you're already asleep! We can't accept it.” 

“Good thing I didn't ask you to” Nelly snorted callously, turning over on his side and huddling under the covers. 

“Come on, dad!” scowled Kyo, tugging at the covers, “You need to get out!” 

“Just because you're both in your thirties doesn't mean I can't beat you...” 

Jyun sighed, rolling his eyes, “Dad, it's been almost _five_ years. You need to get back in the game.” 

Nelly was a little confused about what this meant because he knew he couldn't possibly mean _dating._ “I was married for three _decades_. Half a one isn't exactly a lot of time.” 

“Don't make excuses!” Kyo scolded, “How can you rebound or know if you're ready to rebound if you don't try?” 

Sulky, he muttered, “Because I _know_ I'm not. Let's leave it at that.” 

Jyun and Kyo exchanged a glance and Jyun finally shrugged, “Have it your way, dad.” 

Oh, he didn't like that. Them giving up _that_ easy? No. “So...?” 

“Well, you can at least come and have a drink with us” Kyo remarked simply. 

“I am _asleep_.” 

Jyun waved a hand, “Dad, you're too young to go to bed before 12. C'mon!” 

“Where are your wives?” Nelly groaned, starting to actually get a little restless. 

Kyo sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets, “Gwen's in hardcore dissertation mode and Kairi tuckered out after spending the day at the park with Hoshiko.” 

“Roomi and the kids are visiting with her mother” Jyun sighed, “And I'm so lonely!” 

Nelly leered at both of them as they looked almost pitiful. “You have each other?” 

Kyo waved a hand, “C'mon dad, this would be fun! The Yagami men, going to play some beer pong in a dingy bar. What could be better?” 

“You wanna know? Me _sleeping_.” 

But that was the thing about his children, they never took 'I'll beat your ass if you don't get out of here!' for an answer. Disgruntled as he climbed into the back seat of Jyun's SUV, apparently not even respected enough to get the _front_ seat, he muttered. 

“Maybe you two need to go back to Italy and South America after all.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“See! This is how it should be, family randomly drinking together!” declared Kyo haughtily, sipping a drink. 

Nelly just glowered and Jyun laughed, “Ah, yea, good ol' public drunkenness is bonding at it's best. Even better if we end up in prison.” 

Nelly had to snicker at that, swirling his Heineken around, “I've had my fill of that with your uncles, thanks.” 

“Mm” Jyun sipped his Smirnoff, “Dad, I always wondered: did Uncle Shin ever do any craziness with you guys?” 

He laughed, “Are you kidding? If it weren't for your Uncle, we probably would still be in prison right now.” 

Kyo sighed, “That must suck though, always being the non-crazy reliable one.” 

Nelly 'mm'd' at that before cocking a brow after Kyo ordered three rounds of 'dirty bong water'? What the hell? Cocking a brow down at the drink when it was placed in front of him, he raised the other brow, “...Um, what the hell is this?” 

“Dirty bong water!” 

Nelly stared at him blankly and Jyun snickered, “It's a drink, dad, it's not like someone was taking drugs in the back. Ugh, that'd be gross.” 

He snorted, picking it up, closing an eye, “It's so green.” 

“Why, papa, are you afraid of liquor?” gasped Kyo. 

Nelly glowered at him, picking it up, and taking a sip before his eyes widened, “Okay, you _would_ like something like melted candy.” 

Kyo grinned lazily, “But it's good, right?” 

“I never cared much for liquor like that” Nelly admitted, setting the empty glass down, “Sure, it's delicious but just because of that you drink more of it then you're all effed up in the morning.” 

“I remember downing Four Loko like it was Kool-Aid” Jyun agreed. 

Nelly smirked, “That still tasted _horrible_ enough that it'd stop me from drinking more than one of them, my stupid offspring.” 

“Whatever, old man! You get three of those going at the club, you'd be there until four” Jyun snorted haughtily. 

“Jesus, _three_ ” Nelly cringed, “Did you ever sleep again and realized you could have _died_?” 

Kyo snickered, “Yea, I can't do caffeine and alcohol. Sucks they pulled it though.” 

“It was murder for the heart” Jyun admitted, “But eh, those were younger days.” 

Nelly groaned, dropping his head on the table, “Don't say that. I'm your _father_ , _I_ should be saying that.” 

Kyo laughed, “I dunno, dad, Jyun _is_ 41.” 

That just made Nelly grimace more. Aging was, well, a thing of the past in a sense. A weird evolution they made with more control over health and medicine and vaccines and whatnot. Of course there were variants, people _had_ to die, there was just a code. But yea, he could sit at this table and be confused for these two twerp's brother. It was nice in it's own way, he never wanted to be that wrinkled old guy who broke his hip or waved his cane at the younger generation for their 'shenanigans'. Nevertheless, actually knowing how old he was still carried a kind of cringe-worthy effect. 

“So dad, let's speak hypothetically” Jyun said seriously. 

“Oh lord.” 

“ _Hypothetically_ if you were to date again, what would you look for?” 

Nelly glared at him before shrugging awkwardly, “I think I'd have to pull a 'you' to be honest. Or at least 'former you'.” 

Jyun scowled, “You mean 'no strings attached'.” 

He nodded and Kyo frowned, “But what if you found someone you really liked?” 

“Well, I know this may sound old-fashioned to you young'n's but I really 'liked' your mother so I'm not exactly sure I'm going to 'really like' someone else” Nelly remarked dryly. 

“You never know though!” Kyo protested. 

“I know” muttered Nelly, “...I know.” 

Jyun rested his chin in his palm, sighing, “But dad, just getting some occasional ass doesn't sound like you. I mean, it sounds like _college_ you, but now?” 

“I'm not all that worried about it” Nelly grunted, “I'm fine on my own and it'll stay that way. You guys don't have to worry about me being lonely. I'm tough, I can handle it.” 

Now if only that were true. 

Jyun nor Kyo seemed anymore pleased about this but seemed to drop it, deciding to go play a game of darts instead. Nelly sighed. He appreciated them, though he'd find a way to gnaw off his own elbow before telling them that. They didn't want to see him alone and it was really hard to see that, probably. It just wasn't anything he desired anymore. 

Or maybe he just didn't desire the risk of getting hurt again. 

Walking to the bar, he flagged the bartender down for a screwdriver. He sighed, leaning against the counter, considering telling the boys he was ready to call it a night. He really was a bit of a downer though, he could assume. 

“What can I get you?” 

“Oh, I-I don't know, I'm not good at this. I just need a drink.” 

Nelly frowned and glanced to his side. A girl had wandered up. She had bleachish blonde curly hair, pulled back into a ponytail away from red colored eyes, currently wearing a white sundress. She looked excessively out of place. 

The bartender seemed a tad annoyed, “I don't choose drinks, lady. You might not like it then bitch about paying for it.” 

“I would not!” 

Nelly frowned, clearing his throat, “A Shirley Temple Black.” 

The girl looked at him, startled, and the bartender looked crass, “Well, will you drink and pay for it if she doesn't like it?” 

“Jesus, man, just get the damn drink, you'll get paid” Nelly grunted, irritated with this asshole. 

She stared at him wearily as the bartender grumbled about 'sucky customers'. Nelly just kind of glanced away to Kyo and Jyun. He knew the score, naturally. You buy a drink for a girl you tried to pick up. But that wasn't going to go down. He wasn't even sure he was paying, in fact. 

He heard the glass clink against the table and cocked a brow as Kyo threw rather horribly. Jyun laughed at him and got swung at briefly. 

“Oh! This is good.” 

Nelly looked back to her and smiled, “Yea, my female relatives love that drink.” 

She swirled the glass and pursed her lips, looking around, “I apologize if it's not your intention, but--” 

“It's not” he quickly stated, “I mean, I know that's usually what guys do or...sort of. But I'm not out for that kind of thing.” 

The young woman glanced at him, confused, “So you're just here?” 

“Yea, with my sons” he sighed, glancing behind him at the two. 

“Your sons?” she echoed. 

Kyo and Jyun had moved to play pool and Kyo apparently felt the need to pretend the pole was a sword, swinging it around and smacking Jyun in the back as the man attempted to make a shot. Of course, with those two, this just ended up turning into a mini-brawl. Nelly just stared and the girl giggled. 

“They're cute.” 

“I'd like to say I'm proud, but...” 

She laughed, taking another sip, “You don't look nearly old enough to be their father. But I guess times are so different now. One of those two could be _your_ father and it wouldn't really be that strange.” 

“No, that'd...still be pretty off the wall” Nelly smirked as Jyun put Kyo in a stranglehold. 

She smiled, “I see you're one of those 'my sons are idiots but my pride and joy' types.” 

Nelly chuckled at that, “Pretty much sums it up, really. Though I'd never ever tell them that, they're ego-crazy enough as is.” 

The mystery woman grinned, “You think that'd make them bigheaded, hearing their dad loves them?” 

“They can get bigheaded from making a sandwich” Nelly laughed, “But I guess they might have gotten that from me.” 

She chuckled, “Believe it or not, I think mothers lend more towards that than fathers. You know, 'my baby is so cute', 'no one's as adorable as my son', 'he can do no wrong' kind of deal.” 

Nelly sighed wistfully at that, “...Yea, she did do a lot of that.” 

She frowned before scowling at her purse, her cell phone starting to ring. Snatching it out of the case, she practically ripped the battery out of the back before dropping it on the counter, looking quite angry. Nelly stared, wide-eyed. “Uh.” 

“Can you tell me why men _suck_?” she demanded, slapping the table for a refill, “It's-it's so _stupid_! And-and perverted and horrible and I _hate_ that I love him!” 

Nelly cocked a brow as she muttered, “He's a marine. Or, he just joined the marines so he can have a job. He gambled away small fortunes and whatnot and now he's in debt. They said they'd forgive his debt if he joined some portion of the military. He joins the _marines_ and is going off to some base in some other country. 'I'll miss you so much', he tells me, 'I'll call and write you everyday', he tells me. Before he goes, tonight, the night we were supposed to spend together romantically, he tells me that he thinks while he's away we should practice an _open_ relationship! An _open_ relationship!?” 

Nelly's eyes widened as she looked increasingly enraged, “An _open_ relationship. That means he can sleep with any broad he wants but once he gets back to Japan, it's supposed to be 'all me'. That doesn't _work_!” 

He blinked as she took the alcohol down the hatch before bursting into tears, “I _love_ him! How could he do this to me?!” 

“Well, if it means anything to you, that is down right asshattish” Nelly slowly replied, “I mean, one-sided swingerism doesn't work.” 

“Oh, I'll screw around, so help me! And I'll tell him _all_ about it, see if he likes that I play the game too!” she said haughtily. 

“...But do you _want_ to do that kind of thing?” Nelly sighed, “If you love him, you should tell him that you don't want to do that and if he loves you, he'd feel the same.” 

She tapped her fingertips, looking weary, “...I did. But he said if I couldn't stand that, then I don't trust him, that I don't believe he'll come back to me.” 

“What a load of bulls—t” Nelly snorted. 

“I know” she mumbled, “So why do guys suck?” 

Nelly sighed, “Not all guys are like that. Some can keep it in their pants and not need to have sex every few minutes or just make up stupid excuses. Some guys realize that just keeps them alone.” 

She blinked at him, “...Are you like that?” 

Nelly blanked for a moment before smiling wistfully, “I think lived those things but I still ended up alone.” 

He glanced back at his sons who'd settled down, “I was with their mother for 33 years...” 

  
Obviously young, she gaped, “Oh my God, that's forever!” 

Nelly chuckled sadly, “No, it wasn't. Or you know, maybe you're right. That's a long time and she just got tired of me. She cheated during the last six years of our marriage before finally leaving me for her affair.” 

“Oh my God, I'm sorry, that's so awful” she rasped, “But c'mon! 33 years, I've been with my boyfriend for like _two_ and he pulls s—t all the time but33 years? I'd hope there'd be some _respect_ after all that time.” 

Nelly nodded in agreement, “It sucks more because I'm the only one that's like that. My twin brother's been married even longer and he's still kicking. You'd think him and his wife were newlyweds. Relationships and people just vary, I suppose.” 

She looked at him curiously, “Where do you go after all that time though? After 33 years, where do you start again?” 

He paused mid-drink. 

...Where did you start again after that? Had he ever restarted? Setting his glass down, he scowled in thought and shook his head. “That's a really good question. I'm sorry to say I really don't have the answer.” 

“But isn't it like, dating again or something?” she questioned softly, “I mean, it's no fun being lonely.” 

“It's no fun getting my heart snatched out either” Nelly muttered, “I'd rather be alone than hurt again.” 

“That's so depressing” she rasped sadly, “You're making me sadder for you than my stupid situation.” 

He laughed despite himself, sighing as he did so, “Don't feel sorry for me, I feel better this way. I mean, it gets to me a little but I have my kids and grandkids.” 

“Aww, you have grandkids? That's so weird. But it's not the same, I'm sure.” 

Nelly shrugged awkwardly, “I did the whole 'no strings attached, one night stand, pick up a girl at parties' thing in college. I'm too old for that and frankly I'm kind of done with it. The only other option is, of course, seeking a relationship and I've already decided to forgo that.” 

He frowned as she stared at him rather thoughtfully, “...Do old guys still get horny?” 

He blinked rapidly, “Why, that's a rather blunt, probing question.” 

“I'm just curious! Like, if you forgo relationships, you forgo sex! It's easier for women to forgo sex, there's a whole industry of products for us to turn to for alternatives but a guy, it's like, the industry of your hand!” 

Nelly chuckled, cocking a brow as he finished his glass, waving down the bartender for one more shot, “I guess that's true. Sure, I get...aroused and whatnot, if that answers your question. And yea, it's the 'industry of my hand' but I don't really see an alternative.” 

She turned around, leaning backwards against the bar before folding her hands, “What if you pick up a girl at the bar?” 

“I don't want to be one of those seedy guys.” 

Her red eyes narrowed a bit at him, “Okay, what if a _girl_ picks _you_ up at the bar?” 

“Well, she'd probably be looking for a relationship of some kind” Nelly remarked absently, watching his glass get refilled. 

Turning towards him, she looked almost exasperated, “What if the girl picking you up wasn't looking for a relationship?” 

“That'd be kind of odd.” 

“You really are rusty at this, aren't you?” 

Nelly glanced at her, confused, as she glowered at him, “What if _this_ girl was picking you up? The one you've been talking to for the last half hour and ordered a drink for. The one that would like to show you a good time since you quite obviously need it, hmm?” 

He choked and sputtered on his drink, alarmed. _What_? “T-th-th-that's--” 

She rested her hand on her hip, tapping her foot, as he wiped his mouth and regained his composure. Was he _really_ getting picked up? Like this? No flirting, just talking? What kind of insanity...? Turning to her, his eyes narrowed a bit. Not to mention.... 

“Just _how_ old are you again?” 

“21.” 

He gaped at her and she glared, “What? I'm in college. I'm old enough to _drink_. I'm _legal_.” 

“My baby girl's older than you are!” 

“Ever heard that saying 'age is just a number'?” she rolled her eyes. 

“Know what's wrong with that saying _and_ that number? It's almost less than half my oldest son's age!” 

“You can just tell me if you don't find me attractive” she mumbled shyly. 

Nelly groaned. Women. Though it stood to reason, did he? He glanced her over in a quick sweep. She was gorgeous, her face appearing almost womanly defined, long sooty lashes framing her scarlet eyes. Her body was voluptuous. Hell, fine, if he were currently a Junior in college, he'd be _all_ over her, however...“I find you quite attractive. Just 21 is a bit of an incline. Not to mention you're just wanting to get back at your boyfriend and you'd regret it in the morning.” 

“But you seem _so_ depressingly lonely!” she whined, “I want to make you feel better, it's my way.” 

Nelly groaned, “Look, as much as I appreciate that--” 

He gasped silently when her lips pressed against his, her tongue penetrating through his lapse of security. Stunned, he groaned internally. He hadn't been kissed in _forever_. 

...Ah! She pulled away and he gaped wordlessly before slowly glancing to the side, his heart throbbing, to see if his sons had seen. It was one of those rare moments when the two weren't paying attention to the most critical of moments, both of them turned away towards the table. Swallowing, he slowly turned back to her and whispered sharply. 

“I-it's a _bad_ idea. You don't even know my name! I could be a serial killer for all you know!” 

She shook her head, “You're not! I'm amazing at reading people! That's why I'm really attracted to you. You're not an ass.” 

“Well, see, that's where you're _definitely_ wrong.” 

He froze up a bit when she ran her hand underneath his shirt. Oh God, he hadn't been felt up in years either! “What's your name?” 

“N...Nerimaru” he rasped. 

She smiled sultrily, “That's an awesome name. So how about it? Feeling lucky, Neri?” 

Swallowing, his head in a daze, he cleared his throat, “Are you _sure_ about this?” 

“Positive!” she clapped. 

He wasn't, not a bit. But with a worried sigh, he nodded but quickly stated, “Feel free to change your mind at _any_ time though!” 

She just sighed and he bit his lip, “I, uh, have to go tell my sons I'm going.” 

“Okay, I'll be outside!” she said, too giddy as she skipped out. 

...Ugh, she was drunk, that had to be it! Don't take advantage of drunken college girls, Nelly! But he could at least see her home, he supposed. However, he had one more issue... 

Wandering up to his clutterbrains, he cleared his throat, “Uh, boys, I'm going to go for a walk. You can go home without me. I'll catch a taxi back.” 

Jyun and Kyo looked up from their game, both of their brows furrowing, “Uh, que?” 

“I, uh, want to go check something out and I don't want you to wait up for me” Nelly quickly lied. 

Kyo frowned, “Can't we go?” 

“No!” 

Jyun scowled, “Well, at least let us _wait_ for you! A taxi at 12 a.m.? That's crazy talk!” 

“Guys, I really appreciate your concern but, for _me,_ can you just hit the road once you're done? I swear, I'll be fine. I just remembered an old friend I want to see.” Ugh, this was a hard one. 

Kyo and Jyun narrowed an eye at him pretty similarly and he probably would have done the same if anyone told him what he just told them. But Jyun at least knew when to let things drop. “Fine, but like, call when you get home so we know you're okay and didn't leave you to die.” 

“Because I'd cry” Kyo added. 

Nelly chuckled despite his anxiousness, “Sure thing. Just don't lose any sleep if I, er, lose track of time and don't get to you tonight.” 

...Was he _really_ considering sleeping with this girl? What the hell was wrong with him? 

“You're acting funny” Jyun stated plainly. 

Nelly grunted, “I'm _fine_. Just don't be out too late.” 

“You too, old man.” 

He leered at them before slowly exiting. Hopefully she'd come to her senses and fled... 

But no luck. She was standing there, leaning against the building, smiling at him. “Ready?” 

... _No_. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Ugh, what the f—k? I hated Hanson...” 

Yagami Nerimaru squinted as he woke up _somewhere,_ staring at a poster of that ancient band that pretty much fell off the face of the planet when Jill finally matured into less pop-ish music. But either he had a drunken moment and decided he liked “MMBop” a lot more now over half a century later or... 

_He yelped, alarmed, as she quickly snatched off his shirt, smiling as she ran her hands down his chest, “Wow, you take amazing care of yourself.”_

“ _Uh, well...” he mumbled, his mind going into a bit of shock as she lapped at his nipple with her tongue._

_She grabbed his arms and dragged him towards her room, fit with pink canopies over the bed, baby blue sheets, and flower shaped rugs. A word immediately came to his head: jailbait._

_He bit his lip as she shoved him backwards into the bed, crawling over and sitting on his crotch. Nelly, this was nuts, he kept telling himself. She was too young. Younger than his twin's youngest , almost younger than Sachiko! Not to mention he was being used for revenge! This was crazy!_

_But he moaned as she slipped her hand underneath the band of his pants, stroking him as she kissed him passionately. Removing the rest of his clothes, she nipped at his lower lip. “You're way too hot to not date someone again, Neri.”_

_He couldn't really think of a response as he got hard from her administrations, opting just to groan instead, his eyes rolling back as she went down on him. Oh, she definitely knew about what to do down there though, no matter her age, holy jeez._

“ _You can do whatever you like to me” she smiled shyly as she pulled away, rubbing her cheek against his shaft._

_He licked his lips, horrified because that idea seemed a lot more palpable now. “...Elli barely had sex with me while she had her affair.”_

“ _Elli? Is that your ex-wife?”_

“ _Yes. And, uh, I'm getting a little excited that I...finally am.”_

_The woman giggled, “You've **been** excited, silly.”_

_Nelly gaped as she slid the sundress she was wearing down her silky white body, letting her blonde hair down to caress her milky shoulders. She pressed her chin to her chest and smiled._

“ _Take anything you want from me. Anything.”_

_...Well, who was he to deny a girl that quoted Hendrix?_

Staring at the ceiling, he gaped. How did someone sleep with a poster of Marilyn Manson staring down at them? Or rather, how many contradictions and paradoxes did it violate to have Marilyn Manson and Hanson hanging in the same place? The only commonality either had was they rhymed. 

Sitting up, he scowled, looking around. Yea, this room only got girlier with sunlight. Except for Marilyn Manson looking down at him. He really wondered why he hadn't noticed that the night before. 

Then again, the view of her going cowgirl on him probably was the reason. 

Gnawing on his lip, part of him prayed she was not here. She'd apparently already departed the bed. This was so awkward and this really did seem like college all over again. Finding his pants, he grimaced when he remembered his shirt had come off in a previous room. Slowly opening the door, his heart jumped when he found the girl outside in her small kitchen area, humming. Swallowing, he slowly walked out and she turned towards him. It felt odd but his heart kind of skipped when she smiled at him. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?” 

“Uh, yea. Pretty great, actually” he admitted, pinking. 

She suddenly, horribly, handed him a plate. Gawking, he rapidly shook his head, “O-oh no, I couldn't!” 

“Hey, I am an amazing cook” she pouted. 

“Th-that's not the reason!” 

She sighed, sitting at the table and setting her plate down, holding her hand out to signal him to do the same. Feeling queasy, he sank down across from her. This felt _so_ weird. She nibbled at her bacon and looked awkward. “Sorry, I can't really offer you a shower or anything. I have to be leaving for class in a few minutes.” 

“No, that's fine!” he blurted, “I, uh, really don't need breakfast either.” 

“Why so serious?” she teased suddenly, “Did you not enjoy last night?” 

He blushed profusely, feeling that the tables had definitely reversed since his more promiscuous days. He usually was on the other end prodding some girl about how amazing he was in bed. Ugh. But really, he felt like a mountain of stress was off his shoulders. He really didn't know he was so _tense_. Pursing his lips, he mumbled shyly. “...Definitely.” 

“I can definitely see you're experienced” she said rather forwardly, “I mean, you really seemed rather concerned that I come a few times before you took your turn.” 

He kind of gaped at her, “...Uh, well, ladies first?” 

She laughed, “Such chivalry is dead, Neri.” 

Nelly snorted, “But it shouldn't be.” 

Spooning the omelet into his mouth, he frowned. It'd really been a long time since he'd woken up to someone cooking for him too. At least, a woman. “Uh, you were pretty great too.” 

“I aim to please” she giggled, standing and taking her plate to her kitchen. 

... _Oh damn it_. This was _definitely_ too much like damn college now, he didn't know the girl's effin' name! Oh jeez, what the hell!? He couldn't ask something like that _now_! Ugh, he was _very_ rusty. 

Smiling nervously as she took the plate away, he quickly retrieved his shirt and put it on. What did he do? He wanted to ask her name, she'd been quite pleasant. But a normal non-whorish men would have asked that _before_ the sex. 

“I'm sorry I have to kick you out now” she bit her lip as she grabbed some things off her couch. 

Nelly yelped, startled that she was talking, “Uh, n-no! I mean, it's a reasonable and smart thing to do, I'm really a stranger.” 

“Not much anymore” she winked, grabbing a pen off her counter. 

Flustering, he was surprised when she grabbed his hand and scribbled something across it. His eyes widened when he saw her scribe. 

...Her number? 

“I see you freaking out” she suddenly laughed, “It's okay, I never told you my name so it's both of our mistake.” 

Groaning in his head, he smiled embarrassedly, “I'm sorry. And uh, I really don't go by 'Nerimaru' or 'Neri'. People call me 'Nelly'.” 

“Nelly...” she repeated. 

“Uh, well...” he rasped, confused on how to end this shocker. 

“Oh, I'm going to be late!” she gasped, opening the door and tugging him out with her. 

At the end of the stairway out of her apartment building, he grimaced as people rushed around the busy streets in the early noon. The blonde woman glanced across the street a few blocks at the campus and he quickly smiled. “Uh, go on! Doesn't pay to miss classes and, uh, thanks for...that. I kind of needed it and didn't realize it.” 

She grinned, “That's how it usually goes.” 

He stared at her before grimacing and grabbing a receipt from his pocket and scribbling his phone number as well, “In-in case you need anything, even if it's like, just company.” 

Giggling, she took it and tucked it in her purse, “Will do!” 

She skipped away before looking over her shoulder, winking, “Have a good day, Nelly! I'm Eve and you're welcome in my bed any time you want!” 

He gawked, people looking at him rather weirdly as they passed him after this statement, and he finally breathed. 

...Dawn of a new era indeed. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Uh, hi, is Koji Yagami in?” 

Nelly had never visited his brother at work, at least to his recollection. But he was on the mainland, freaked out, and incapable of hailing a taxi to save his life so he decided maybe just to hang out until the man was ready to go home, assuming he was here in the first place. But the receptionist glared at him rather irritably. 

“Mr. Yagami, this is no time for games! You really need to call Toyoda-san!” 

“Uh, what?” 

Suddenly it hit him: they were twins. Duh. “Uh, no, you misunderstand, I'm not--” 

“No excuses!” 

“Really, Shiori.” 

Everyone in the office had been rolling their eyes at the receptionist and him but now they all looked startled. Nelly frowned as he looked up, Koji wandering out of a room, wearing a button up shirt and a pair of gray slacks. Kind of weird this chick would confuse them, they were wearing completely different things. And, of course, he was the hot twin. 

The secretary blanched as Koji wandered up to Nelly, his hands in his pockets, his brow furrowed, “Dude, what are you doing here? This is the first time in like, forty years that you've just decided to swing by?” 

Nelly glanced around, wondering what it would have been like if he'd actually used his business degree now. “Oh, I was in the neighborhood. And um, I'm kind of trapped here so I was thinking I'd stay and hitch a ride with you if that's cool.” 

Koji blinked, “You didn't take your car?” 

“Uh, it's...a long story.” 

His twin cocked a brow before glancing at “Shiori”, “I finished that call so, uh, you don't have to freak. And I'm going to go to lunch. Let's roll, Nell.” 

“Uh, sure” he blinked as the girl looked irritated. 

Exiting the building, Koji grunted and reached into his pocket, drawing out, of all things, a cigarette. Nelly scowled. 

“What happened to that 'I've quit' thing you promised your lovely wife?” 

“Aww hell” Koji muttered, “I was okay until Sumino hired on this ho. She hates me for no reason whatsoever and she's a complete newbie to this line of work but treats all of us like we're the idiots. I want her fired but I'm not...heartless.” 

“Damn” Nelly whistled, “That does seem a little off for you.” 

Koji snorted, “And it seems a little off for you to be 'in the neighborhood' without a car. What really went down?” 

“Nothing!” 

Koji snorted again, dropping his cigarette, crushing it with his leather bound toe, “Bulls—t, futago. Haven't I told you our whole lives you can't lie to me?” 

Nelly sulked before glancing around as they wandered into a cafe, “...Okay, fine, I had been at the bar last night and I just...” 

He paused, recalling he promised to contact his idiot children. Dropping a quick 'I'm alive' text as they were seated, he took a breath. Koji sulked. “Incomplete sentence for the win?” 

Nelly flustered, “No, I...I went home with a woman last night.” 

Koji's eyes widened, startled, “Eh?” 

“I had sex with someone...” he groaned. 

“Well it's about damn time!” Koji grunted, ordering a drink, “I was worried you got all asexual on me, man.” 

Nelly sulked, “I didn't even know her name until this morning! I don't want to relive college, damn it!”  
  


Koji's eye narrowed, “Uh, why didn't you know her name until after you banged her?” 

“It's a lot more complicated than I'm telling but...” Nelly bit his fingertip, his brow raising, “Koji, she's _21.”_

Koji choked on his tea, “ _What_?” 

“21! As in a freakin' Junior in college and younger than my daughter! 21!” 

Koji, the bastard, kind of grinned almost saucily, “Way to go, bro, you're living the dream.” 

“Yea, that was always my dream: to get picked up at the bar by a girl less than half my age” he muttered, drinking his lemonade slow. 

“Well, the dream until you realize that you don't want to be alone” Koji amended sagely. 

Nelly grunted, “Yea, okay, you may be able to read me like a book but only I know what I need, thanks.” 

“Yea I do, idiot” Koji replied so simply, “You hated being alone, even when you were little. I'm astonished you've been tolerating it for half a decade.” 

He opened his mouth to deny this but Koji pointed at him, “Who was it that threw an absolute hissy fit that we were going to separate colleges?” 

“Well--” 

“Who complained about me getting married feeling 'lonely'?” 

“That was--” 

“Who thinks that alone time involves five other people, apparently, since he texted me and told me he needed such time but went to be with his grandkids?” 

Nelly flicked him off but couldn't help snicker, “I'm sorry I'm the needier one then, bitch. Being alone is the most depressing thing in the universe to me.” 

Koji propped his chin in his hands, “Then this is good for you. Age shouldn't matter that much. Your ex is with a guy like twenty years her junior.” 

“Yea, well, I'm working like, forty.” 

“She hot?” 

“Effin' gorgeous” groaned Nelly, “She reminds me a lot of Karen.” 

“Damn, the crazy slutty type?” 

Nelly grinned, “That what you think of Karen, man? She's our sister-in-law, you should be nicer.” 

“It's fine, it's the same way I think of Tony.” 

Nelly laughed, “Ugh, and that's our little brother, punk, shut up!” 

“Five counts of lewd and lascivious behavior in public? It's an open and shut case” Koji snorted, actually slapping his hands together to symbolize a book. 

“Well, maybe an _idiot_. I never got caught f—king in public...” 

Koji stroked his chin, “Hmm, you're right, that's definitely more appropriate.” 

Nelly stared at the number on his hand and sighed, showing it to him, “She said I am welcome in her bed anytime.” 

“Nice” Koji drawled, seeming impressed. 

“It's _not_ nice! Koji, do you remember how many women we slept through from high school to college? We're lucky we don't have STDs off the ying-yang!” Nelly slammed his hand down, exasperated. 

“Nelly, for God's sake, man, we are _different_ people now. God forbid something happens with Popuri and I was forced to date again but I wouldn't be aiming to sleep through six women” Koji rolled his eyes, “I know it's the same for you.” 

Nelly swallowed and sighed, smiling cordially at the waitress as she set down their food before leaving, “Maybe you're right. But you're still wrong about that one thing about me deciding I shouldn't be alone. I mean, look at me. I'm an old guy now.” 

“Hell you are.” 

“I am! Ugh, a girl like Eve, even if she was looking to start a relationship with me--” 

Koji paused mid-bite of his food before scowling, interrupting, “What do you mean 'if she wanted to'? You picked up some girl who has no interest in being with you even a little? 

“Nah, she has some boyfriend and he's gone away and they've slightly broken up but he promises to return to her. Y'know, stupid adolescent bull like that” Nelly muttered, nibbling on a spring roll. 

Koji groaned, “That's not healthy whatsoever, you baka. You're pulling a 'your son'.” 

“Yea, well, hopefully I won't eff up that bad” Nelly snorted before sighing, “It's not like I'd want anything serious nor do I expect anything more to come of this girl. She'll forget my existence and it'll just be one good night of screwing.” 

Koji sighed as well, “ Why though, Nell? Give me a good reason why you're suddenly forsaking the idea of a new future?” 

Nelly frowned as he stared at his food. Truly, when he thought of this 'dawn of a new era', he never saw himself with a 'new wife'. It was...over. 

“If I got someone like this girl...she's young, she's vibrant, she's just starting out in life. She'd want things that I couldn't provide her with.” 

“Like what?” questioned Koji blankly. 

“...Kids.” 

Koji frowned thoughtfully, dipping his noodle, “What do you mean? I mean, it's usually women that kind of can't have kids after a certain point unless your boys don't float anymore.” 

“No, it's just that...kids? Now? My _grandkids_ would be older than any kid I'd have now. Their siblings would be old enough to be their parents! It's just not something I would do.” 

Koji glanced at him before sighing again, “...I guess that's weird, alas...” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

_Alas._

Yagami Nerimaru's jaw almost hit the ground, the cup of tea he'd been holding instead suffering that fate. Jyun, Kyo, and Hoshiko, all gathered in the latter's home, grew pale. He was going to stop watching the news, so help him. 

“Mayor's Son's New Wife Pregnant”. 

...Elli was going to have a baby. 

Jyun jaw was ticking insanely and Kyo was tapping his foot erratically as Hoshiko just looked shell-shocked. Nelly swallowed the burning lump in his throat before laughing in the thick tension, quickly kneeling... 

...Picking up the pieces. 

“P-papa, I'll get that” Hoshiko blurted, rushing to his side. 

“I don't want you to cut yourself, baby, I'll get it. It was my stupid mistake too. I'll get you a new cup” he replied plainly. 

“No, that's...that's alright.” 

“Is it wrong if I want to kill something?” Kyo suddenly demanded, flying to his feet to pace. 

Hoshiko glanced at him helplessly and Nelly sighed miserably, “Guys, she's with a new guy, this is their first marriage. It was bound to happen.” 

Jyun stared at him before looking away, shaking his head before standing, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Uh, yea, I'm going to go for a walk. I'll see you guys later at dinner.” 

Kyo looked disgruntled and Hoshiko was traumatized. Nelly didn't have anything to say except that now, he wanted to sleep. Telling them that he probably wasn't going to make it to Koji's place tonight, he just... 

...Wandered. 

On the mainland, he stared at all the couples wandering around, holding hands, laughing, giggling, happy. It was all a fantasy, he smiled bitterly. One day, it'd fall apart and there'd nothing to be happy about again. 

He jumped, startled out of his dark gloom, when his hip rang. Groaning, hoping his brother didn't want to comfort him or something, he pulled out the device and cocked a brow. Who the hell was this? Frowning, he clicked 'send' and pressed it against his ear slowly. 

“...Hello?” 

“Um-m-m, hi! Oh, you probably don't remember me, I'm so stupid...” 

Eve. 

At a loss of words, he gaped for a moment before shaking his head, “Uh, n-no, I remember you...Eve.” 

“Oh, that makes me feel so much better! I mean, not to be vain, but it really sucks to be forgotten, y'know? And oh, I'm ranting, I'm sorry, I called you....” 

Nelly stopped and leaned against a building, quiet for a moment, before getting the idea something was the matter. “It's fine. It sounds like something is wrong.” 

“R-really? No, no, everything's peachy! Like, peachy keen!” 

Peachy keen? He couldn't help smile, his brows furrowing, “Okay. Did you need something?” 

“O-oh, well, I thought maybe you'd...want some company? I mean, you don't probably! I...” 

Nelly glanced at his watch, blinking, “...Uh, a little company for a few might be good.” 

“O-only if you want to, of course! I bet this is really weird to you but I really thought you could need someone!” 

He could tell it was one of those 'deflect this off of me' things but she wasn't really far from the truth, no matter what. “It's fine. Want to meet at the bar again?” 

“Y-yea! Sounds good. Thank you, Nelly-kun.” 

Kun? 

He sighed, wondering why he'd even bothered to agree, wandering towards the bar absently. Maybe Koji was right, he got tired of being alone. 

“Ah, you came!” 

Nelly jumped, alarmed, and glanced to Eve, kind of gaping. She was wearing one of those really deeply v-cut shirts and a mini-skirt. Man, girls. His eyes widened again as she grabbed his arm, “C'mon, let's go back to my place!” 

His brows creased as he was suddenly driven back to the origin of crime. She was tugging him so anxiously and he wasn't sure if he was shocked when she attempted to undress him. He stared at her carefully. “I thought we were hanging out.” 

“O-of course we are! This-this is hanging out, right?” she said frantically. 

“Hanging out naked?” 

“No! D-don't be silly” she rasped, her hands pausing as she finally took a breath. 

Frowning, he grasped her hands and gazed down at her, “Instead of us screwing this out, how about we healthily discuss it?” 

“Discuss what?” she said way too airily. 

“What's bothering you” he stated calmly. 

“Nothings bothering me! Especially nothing to do with that idiot!” 

Nelly couldn't help smile as she looked appalled. It was cute when people were still that open. She slouched and pouted, “I...” 

He nodded and pulled her to sit on her tiny couch. She played with her hair and pouted. “He met someone.” 

“Mm...” 

“He said she's 'so pretty' and ' _so_ understanding' and all this and that” she growled, “He said she's ' _so_ perfect'! Like, who wants to hear that?!” 

Nelly rolled his eyes. Then again, it was men like this asshole that made it so happiness was impossible to keep. “Eve, you seem like a really nice girl. Why don't you just ditch this guy? Try anew? If he wants you back, which he will, then he needs to work for you because he's definitely not the sharpest tool for saying these things to someone he loves.” 

She sniveled, “I know. But it's so scary! We've been together for so long...” 

He supposed at one point in his life two years was a long time for him too. Nonetheless, it was still too...asshattish! She hugged her arms and mumbled, “I was going to use you to make myself feel better, I'm sorry.” 

“It's okay” he sighed with a laugh, “I mean, I kind of figured.” 

“It's not” she sighed, “And you were even nice enough to stop me because then I'd feel like a bitch in the morning.” 

“Yea, angry sex isn't the best.” 

Eve sighed once more before turning to him, propping her hands in her lap, “So something's bothering you too, right?” 

“Huh? Oh no, I'm good” he lied. 

Her rosy eyes narrowed, “Don't give me that! You could tell at the drop of a hat that something was up with me and I know something's off for you too! What is it?” 

Nelly sighed, not wanting to really talk about it with someone he just met for the second time. But then, he slept with her the first time, they'd pretty much stomped the hell out of the proverbial “breaking the ice”. Rubbing the side of his face, he mumbled. “My wife.” 

She frowned, “Your ex-wife, you mean.” 

“...Yea” he smiled wanly, “She's pregnant.” 

“Oh...” 

“Don't get me wrong, I don't feel like she's not entitled to, of course, I just...I don't know” he mumbled. 

“You think that because she had your children it feels off that she's having another man's” she said rather wisely. 

Gaping at her for a moment, he flushed and looked away, “...Yea. I mean, while she was having an affair with this guy and we were still married, she practically forced me to have a vasectomy and now she's off having kids again.” 

“That's so low” Eve snarled, shaking her head, “I mean, jeez, what if you wanted more kids or something? Or did she really not expect to get caught?” 

Reflecting, Nelly wasn't quite sure what Elli's initial plot was nor did he really care. But actually thinking about it now, he knew that that Gill bastard coming and declaring he couldn't 'live without her' or whatever, that hadn't been in her plans. So she really wanted to string him along that entire time? With her ignoring him and fighting any minor intimacy with him like the plague? Hell, she barely wanted to _talk_ to him then. 

"...I guess she didn't" he whispered softly. 

Eve pouted before standing, looking sheepish, "Uh, once the whole enraged thing goes down, at least for me, I don't quite feel as..." 

He laughed softly, "It's okay, like I said, angry sex is bad. If you're not in the mood, it's fine, I'm not really sure I am either." 

Eve clapped, "Well then, at least let's go out to eat. I'm starving now!"  
  


Nelly stood and sighed, "I'll...accompany you. I'm not sure I'm hungry." 

She pouted before clapping once more, "I know what will cheer you up! A nice chocolate lava cake with chocolate chips and ice-cream!" 

He winked, "Sugar attack it is." 

Nelly wasn't sure why but he really did feel a little bit better. And that kind of disconcerted him too. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

"Koji, remember that porno that one crazy dude left at your dorm once?" 

Koji was stretched out sideways in his recliner, drinking a beer, before cocking a brow at him, "Uh, no?"  
  


Nelly sipped his beer, his eyes plastered on the ceiling, "You know, the one with the two girls with insanely big boobs?" 

"Yea, how about that's called 'all porn to have ever existed'?" Koji snickered. 

"No! This was different, the girls were going around to see how many times they could get screwed in a weekend!" 

"Again..." 

Nelly rolled his eyes, "Ugh, you're useless. You lent it to me and said it was awesome. It had that Jenna Jameson look-alike." 

" _No one_ looks like Jenna Jameson" Koji snapped rather strangely. 

Nelly grinned, "You always did have a soft spot in your heart for her." 

"I wouldn't say 'heart' nor 'soft'..." 

Nelly laughed and threw a bottle cap at him, "Baka!" 

"Porn's so yesterday though" he sighed airily, "My wife has all the rack I need." 

Nelly sighed as well, "Well, it does kind of gross me out now a little, all these youngish girls doing that kind of stuff." 

"I don't know, I'll still give a facial in a second." 

Nelly snickered, "You never understood the meaning of 'TMI', did'ja?" 

"Well, speaking of that, how's things going with your little college girl?" Koji smiled smugly. 

"Ugh, please, I haven't seen her since two weeks ago. I was shocked she called me a second time but I'm sure she's moved on to greener pastures" Nelly rolled his eyes. 

"Nelly, I'm sure no one's pastures are greener." 

"Is that innuendo?" Nelly cocked a brow, licking the rim of the bottle. 

"I'm not even sure anymore." 

Nelly smirked at him and glanced at the television, "Want to go see Exavier? It's supposed to be awesome." 

"Sorry, I grabbed that one with Iori, Skye, and Hayato earlier this week. First R-rated movie" Koji explained proudly. 

Nelly had to laugh, "You're an awful grandfather." 

"Please, you know you'd take Kamon and Kairi to see it" Koji jabbed with a grin. 

"Yea, I have to admit, I look forward to taking them drinking and to R-rated movies and telling them how to pick up women. At least, hopefully before their baka fathers do." 

"Aww, but that's like a father's initial right." 

"True" mused Nelly, "It was great that first time I took the boys drinking. Kyo passed out after one beer and for the rest of the night Jyun drunkenly told me how he drinks all the time." 

Koji laughed, shaking his head, "Kids." 

"God..." Nelly mumbled, "Their mother hated that." 

"Well, I wouldn't take that away from her. Popuri hated it too when I took Keiji and Miru out drinking." 

Nelly grinned, "Miru drinking, huh? I guess that's true." 

Stretching, he finished the last of his drink before reaching for another, "What should I do tonight?" 

"Not get drunk?" 

"Psh." 

Koji grinned rather lazily, "How about you go on a date with your girlfriend?" 

Nelly scoffed, "She is not my 'girlfriend', asshole. And a date? Who goes on those anymore?" 

Koji smirked at him, "I dunno, people? But come on, you want to see this movie, right? Take her, get some dinner, improvise. It really hasn't gotten any harder than before." 

...Really? A date? He hadn't been on one of those in forever. And with Eve? Would she even accept? 

"...I suppose" Nelly said reluctantly, "What can't you text message?" 

Koji cocked a brow, "You don't text message break-up?" 

"Yea! So I can text message a date, right? I used to do it in the past so I didn't have to deal with verbal rejection." 

Koji snickered, "I don't see why not." 

Nelly tugged his phone out of his pocket, "So what do I write?" 

"I don't know, I never had issues dealing with rejection." 

Nelly flicked him off with his free hand as he text messaged a simple note to her asking if she was interested in a movie and pizza. Oh man, what was he doing? 

"Well, I guess I just have to wait..." he murmured. 

"Ever thought about upgrading your phone, man?" Koji yawned, "You know, to like a projector type or something?" 

"Not in particular. Well, I did, but then I realized I see enough of my kids and stuff without having to see them on my phone too" he rolled his eyes. 

"I feel you" Koji yawned. 

Nelly jumped, startled, when his phone chimed. Ah! Koji glanced at him confusedly as Nelly looked, almost horrified, at the device. "...Uh, don't you want to see what she said?" 

"No!" 

Koji rolled his eyes and snatched it away from his twin, waking it up. He cocked a brow and Nelly groaned, "She refused me, didn't she?" 

"Nope. She says that that sounds like fun and do you want to meet in your usual spot?" Koji read, "'Usual spot'? I thought you'd only met this chick twice, dude, you already have a 'spot'?" 

"I don't know what she's talking about!" Nelly sputtered, pinking a bit. 

Koji snorted, his eyes narrowing a bit, "There you go, lying again." 

"Psh!"  
  


Nelly sat up straight and snatched his phone away, writing that that would be great and that he'd meet her at eight, if that was alright. He bit his lip. "Dude, because of you, I'm freakin' going on a date! I'm a billion years old!" 

"I still go on dates with my lady friend" Koji said rather 'cutely'. 

Nelly just leered at him, "Yea, your lady friend as in your _wife_. I'm going on a date with a complete stranger!" 

"Whaa?!" 

Damn it! 

Jyun, Hoshiko, Kyo, and their spouses and offspring walked in along with all his general nieces and nephews. He could never figure out why his brother's house was such a hangout. 

But sure enough, his sons pretty much attacked him, "What date?!" 

"It's not so much a date, per se..." Nelly grumbled, trying to deflect all this attention. 

"He's going to the movies and dinner with a girl" Koji countered his attempts. 

Nelly glared at him and Kyo gasped, "Dude! When'd you meet someone?" 

He just sulked and Jyun stroked his chin, "You know, you were acting really funny that night we were at the bar. Were you hooking up with someone?" 

"No!" 

"Oh em gee, it all makes sense now! Why would he leave randomly to meet some old friend?" Kyo reasoned. 

Nelly groaned, burying his face in his hands. Why? This wasn't even going to begin to become a serious relationship and now the idiot's were in on it. 

Yagami Roomi, his daughter-in-law, giggled, hugging his shoulders, "I'm happy for you, Nelly-papa, this is great!" 

"Is she hot?" Jyun questioned rather blatantly. 

Nelly leered at him and Koji smiled smugly, "Why don't you tell them how old she is, Nelly?" 

"How about I kill you?" 

Kyo blinked, "How old is she?" 

Nelly groaned again, standing, "None of your business! She's old enough!" 

Roomi cocked a brow, "I don't know about that one, Nelly-pa, that sounds kind of dirty old-mannish." 

"Yea" Jyun agreed, "She's legal, right?" 

"Of course she's legal!" 

"Just barely" coughed Koji. 

Nelly put his brother in a headlock as he laughed and Kyo looked beside himself, "I want to kno-o-o-w-w-w-w!" 

Yagami Gwen, his wife, smirked at him and Nelly rolled his eyes, exasperated, "She's 21, happy?" 

They all stared at him blankly and he glowered. Figured. But Kyo was the first to speak, scratching the back of his head. "You mean you're dating someone younger than your daughter?" 

"And also less than half either of our ages?" Jyun followed up. 

"I am not dating--fine! Yes!" 

"Dude, that's so awesome!" 

Nelly cocked a brow at them and wondered if he'd be this enthused if some other male in the family dated someone considerably younger than them. He frowned though when he recalled the 'younger than your daughter' statement and realized Hoshiko hadn't said a word. He looked to her and she seemed kind of dumbfounded. Grimacing, he smiled and scratched the back of his neck. "Um, are you okay, Hoshi?" 

"Huh? Oh, of course, daddy! I'm happy for you!" she smiled brightly. 

"You sure? I mean, it's not serious so you don't have to worry." 

She waved her hands, shaking her head, "No, no! Really, it's a good thing! I'm still just a tad surprised." 

He frowned but Roomi suddenly glowered at him, "You're not wearing _that_ on a date, are you?" 

"What's wrong with this?" he demanded, wearing a normal white t-shirt and jeans. 

"It's too plain!" 

Koji yawned, standing, "Well, I'd assume he'd know better than that." 

...Actually, he really didn't. He kind of thought 'less was more' especially for something that wasn't serious. However, he guessed just because it wasn't going to be a lifelong developed relationship didn't mean he couldn't look presentable. 

...He was going on a date. What the hell? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Nelly groaned as Eve sat face forward in his lap, kissing his neck, "Y'know, unless you _really_ want to, I'm not the type of guy that requires the night to end like this." 

She just giggled, unbuttoning his shirt, "How about it's how _I_ want thisnight to end, hmm?"  
  


"Well, I try not to make it a habit to deny a lady..." 

The night was amazing. He'd really forgotten that, well, he could have fun like that outside of his normal familial life. The movie was great, it definitely was a winner in his book. And though it was action packed and gorey, Eve liked it too, growing excited during every fight scene. Awesome in any case. 

A simple dinner of pizza at a laid back joint and the 'impromptu' part was her ordained walk through a pretty local park having a dessert of ice-cream. It was nice. 

She invited him back to her place and he wondered if he should have done the gentlemanly thing and told her 'another time' but, well, he never was much of a gentleman. 

Kissing him teasingly, Eve ran her hands across his shoulders, down his back. Moaning, he pressed his lips against her throat and breathed in her scent. She smelled like a lilac... 

...He remembered Elli loved that scent too. 

Grimacing internally, he recalled wooing her and how she was dealing with Tsumaru's death at the time. She seemed so sad. He'd just wanted to make her feel better. He wasn't sure if he was serious every time he asked her to marry him, it was just something that made her laugh. It was something he ended all their dates with. 

He had no idea that he loved her. When it became apparent, when he breathed every day just to see her, when he realized she wasn't a "booty call" and that he hadn't laid with her until the night of their wedding, that he'd spend his entire existence to make her happy, he knew. 

His heart felt like it was pierced suddenly with a stab of pain, of despair, and he fought crying _again_. Damn it, Nelly, you're _over_ this. Five years, she'd made her decision, you'd done all you could. 

She's gone. 

Nelly stroked this girl's back, kissed the side of her face, closed his eyes to stop the tears. He wanted to tell this girl that this guy didn't love her if he could do this to her, that if it kept up, she'd suffer the same heartbreak as he had. But she unzipped his pants, undressed herself. Had anyone told him that back those near forty years ago, would he have listened? No, of course not. How did they know how someone felt? 

It was a new era. Dating again, attempting to reconcile his life... 

Nonetheless, he continued to find himself looking to the past. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jyun and Kyo, as random as ever, are singing Souljah Boy Tell'Em's "Hey You There"...single-handedly one of the weirdest songs ever but it makes me laugh,  
> at least, which I can't say for the rest of his music XP
> 
>  
> 
> Of course, dirty bong water is the drink that Kyo is obsessed with. I'm still pretty much going off what my friend said about it tasting like candy, but  
> for all I know it tastes like grass. Haha XD
> 
>  
> 
> Four Loko is the considerably dangerous combination of caffeine and alcohol that parents are trying to pull after some reckless incidents and stuff...but  
> honestly, I think reckless can happen on anything. I've had it and knew better than to do anything silly but ah well...
> 
>  
> 
> Shirley Temple Black is a usually "virgin" drink (aka non-alcoholic) but the "black" adds gin, or so wiki says...
> 
>  
> 
> Hanson...way old school boy band. And of course Marilyn Manson is that really creepy singer...
> 
>  
> 
> Jenna Jameson is a porn star, lol.
> 
>  
> 
> Ah, breaking out the rocking chair...sort of. And really, this is just interesting add-on...In case you're new to the series or are just kind of DS games  
> and up (or even Back To Nature is your starter game). Eve is from the very first game of the series SNES. She was also in Magical Melody, of course. But  
> the cool thing about that prior game is it's pretty widely accepted that the bachelorettes available are ancestors of the classic fivesome. (Maria being  
> some relative of Mary. Nina to Popuri...Ann to Ann o.O And old lady Ellen, though somewhat subject to scrutiny, may be old lady Ellen and Elli's  
> grandmother).
> 
>  
> 
> However, Eve's is probably one of the most interesting. In HM64, there was a mission that I was never able to accomplish, lol, with collecting some wine  
> from a Harvest Sprite and some dancing and some other stuff...like I said, it was one of the events that I just was like, 'eh?'. But anyway, we find that  
> the creator of this wine was the grandmother of Karen who is considered Eve...and even extra fun filler, did you know that Karen and Cliff are actually  
> cousins?
> 
>  
> 
> Nevertheless, Eve in the story is a very mature woman. Mature as in not chipper childish crazy...but I think at one point, she was like, well, a young  
> woman. And that's how she's portrayed here as this is early in her life. And you can guess who her crazy beau is, someone that had a high-pitched voice and  
> declared what sounded conspicously like "yaooiiiiii".


	26. At the Bar, Part II

“I...am a teacher.” 

“Insane.” 

Yagami Nerimaru sat at the head of the table within his home, cocking a brow as Roomi hummed, serving dinner, “I'm proud of you, Kyo-chan! I can't think of a better career for you!” 

“In a disturbing way. But if 'idiot' ever becomes a career, you better jump right on that” Yagami Jyun echoed, holding his wife's waist as she came around to spoon some spaghetti onto his plate. 

Yagami Kyo glowered at him, “I'd flip you off if my baby wasn't here.” 

Yagami Kairi was quite excited...about the spaghetti Roomi was pretty liberally spooning out for him. Roomi laughed as he puckered his lips up at her affectionately and she leaned over, giving him a kiss. “Oh, you're such a sweetie!” 

Yagami Gwen, his mother, snickered and Jyun smirked, passing the bread around the table, “He really is your son, God.” 

“Definitely” Shimizu Hoshiko laughed, “But congratulations, onii-san!” 

Nelly's son was a teacher. What the hell? More importantly... 

“Why did we have to celebrate here?” he questioned, cocking a brow. 

Kyo lifted his wine glass, “Be-cause! This is the house where it all started! If it weren't for the ol' whoever-had-this-first's farmhouse, there'd be no us within our sexiness and successfulness!” 

They all 'whooped', including Kairi. Nelly couldn't help laugh, shaking his head as he took a sip of wine in response to that apparent toast, “Whatever, you clowns.” 

So since Kyo apparently had nothing else to do without work study, besides his dissertations, he decided to take a few courses and now, with Matt's bright recommendation, he was going to be a 'student professor'. Nelly remembered those. He had one that was smokin' hot and another that was dumb as a brick. He just hoped his son didn't really end up in the latter category. 

He ate a bit of the saucy noodle before looking down as his Button ran in. “Hi grandpapa!” 

“Hey Button. C'mere” he cooed, picking up the small child in his arms. 

Shimizu Julius wandered in, utterly sulky and miserable, Kaori yelling something.“Kill me.” 

Hoshiko cooed next, standing to go comfort her husband with a hug and kiss. Kyo and Jyun snorted and grunted loudly, extremely disgruntled, “Ey, we're eating! Get a room.” 

“Bakas!” 

Roomi smirked, chastising as she shoved her husband's shoulder and stood, “Be good, sheesh.” 

“You would have backed me up before you were related” Jyun sulked. 

Julius just groaned and glared at his oldest daughter but she only glared back. “We'll discuss what you did when we get home, young lady.” 

“No we won't!”   
  


He pressed his fist to his lips, growling angrily before clearing his throat, wandering over to sit next to his wife and Akira, “I am a peaceful, nonviolent, loving parent. Children are not reasonable.” 

“You know when it's bad?” Kyo remarked, “When you have to chant things to keep from killing your child.” 

“Kyo” scowled Gwen. 

Julius just groaned and Hoshiko rolled her eyes, “No Gwen, he's right.” 

“And where the hell did she go?!” Julius demanded loudly, glaring to see that Kaori's spot was empty and she'd vacated the premises. 

Hoshiko grimaced and shook her head, not even bothering to get up. Jyun cocked a brow and glanced at Fujiwako and Kamon before kissing one's forehead and scruffling the other's hair, “Thank you for not being devil children. Daddy loves you.” 

Hoshiko sulked at him and Kyo's brow furrowed, also glancing towards his only child, “You better stay good, you.” 

“Okay, daddy!” Kairi exclaimed, eating his spaghetti rather cleanly. He didn't believe in wasting food at this tender age, apparently. 

Julius groaned again, thanking Roomi as she served him food, “It's only Kaori though! How could we screw up the first one so hard?” 

Nelly smiled down at Miyako as he fed her some of his spaghetti, “I think everyone screws up the first one if it makes you feel any better.” 

“Thanks, old man” Jyun snickered. 

“Well, for all Jyun's faults growing up, Kaori is worse than all three of us ever were combined times five” Hoshiko muttered. 

“ _My_ faults?” 

Nelly sighed, taking a long sip of wine, “I'm not going to lie to either of you: your grandparents would have beaten the hell out of us for talking to them like that.” 

“Really?” Roomi frowned, “They seem like really cool and chill parents.” 

“Oh, they definitely were. However, if we crossed the line doing cartwheels, they put us back in our place in a second. It didn't happen often, of course, and it was a majority your grandmother.” 

Jyun stroked his chin, “Funny, I don't recall getting physically punished.” 

Hoshiko shook her head and Kyo did the same, “Yea, not recalling anything like spanking.” 

“Well, not shockingly, your Uncle Koji and I got it the most out of anyone and even if it only happened like four times, we didn't like it and kind of swore that thing off” Nelly rolled his eyes around, “Of course, I knocked you two around a little when you got older and did stupid bull.” 

“Oh, well yea. I mean, I was trashing the house over a chick and whatever stupidity Kyo did” Jyun rolled his eyes. 

“Weed” Kyo snorted. 

“Weed?” Gwen echoed, looking up from her phone, “Sorry, I'm checking up on my sister. _Weed_?” 

“I had a thing for Mary Jane back in the day” Kyo shrugged indifferently 

Hoshiko rolled her eyes, “It was annoying as hell when he came home high. I dually wanted to kill him.” 

Kyo snickered, “Yea, well, after dad nearly threw me through a wall, I learned my lesson.” 

“It was tough love” Nelly nodded simply. 

Roomi smirked, her brows raising as she returned from checking on dessert, “Seriously, I regret not knowing you guys growing up a lot now for some reason.” 

“Yea, me too” Gwen smirked as well. 

“I don't. I mean, I don't think I missed anything by not hanging up with Butch Cassidy...” Julius suddenly mused. 

Hoshiko smacked him in the head and her brothers laughed, Kyo remarking, “Yea, Hoshiko was indeed a thousand times less agreeable back then.” 

“You notice he didn't say a million” Jyun snickered. 

Hoshiko stuck her tongue out at them and Nelly smiled, shaking his head, “Oh, my stupid kids...” 

“Ah! Dad, where's your lady friend?” Kyo questioned, eating a large mouthful of spaghetti. 

Nelly sulked, “I don't know. We're not together, I don't keep tabs on her nor would I in the first place.” 

“Well, I think the more important question is when do we get to meet her?” Jyun questioned, wiping his mouth with a napkin. 

“Never.” 

Roomi pouted, “Can't we at least see a picture of her? I want to see how pretty she is!” 

Nelly rolled his eyes, “ _Maybe_.” 

He saw Eve pretty much on and off. She apparently never forgot his existence though she typically vanished for weeks at a time and left him with that feeling. But she was always pretty open to his rare suggestions of hanging out unless she had an exam or something. She got the score and, well, he liked that quite a bit. 

Of course, it was going on well over a month since he'd heard from her last. Maybe her boyfriend had returned or something. Ah well. 

He blinked, surprised, when his phone rang. Oh wow, 'speak of the devil'. Excusing himself for a moment, he went outside, knowing his kids would definitely eavesdrop if he stayed in the house, he literally started to say: “I was just thinking about you.” Jeez, how creepy was that? Smiling all the same, he shook his head and answered normally.“Hello?” 

“H-hi...” 

His smile melted a bit. Something was up. “Hey, what's wrong?” 

“N-nothing, really” she whispered, “Um, th-there was this crazy stalker case and a hostage stand-off at my apartments so nothing, really?” 

...That was nothing? He'd hate to know what her 'something' was. “Are you okay?” 

“I'm fine but they think some dirty crazy stuff was going down to begin with so they want all the tenants to vacate the property for a few weeks” she took a deep breath, “So...they're making me leave and I'm really scared.” 

Nelly frowned, “You can go back to your parents, right?” 

“My grandpa” she amended slowly, “He...he lives in the mountains and...and I really, really don't want to go there. I'm just going to a hotel. I guess I was so freaked out after all that shooting, I wanted to hear a comforting voice.” 

He frowned, glancing back at the large farmhouse and felt a little awkward with what came to mind. “H-hey, I mean, unless they're going to compensate you for the hotel...” 

“No...” 

“Well, then you can come and stay with me.” 

There was a dead silence and he grimaced. Smooth, Nelly. That wasn't weird at all. “I-I mean! I don't want to sound like a freak or anything, I just think it's a lot of money for a hotel! Be-besides, it's just a few weeks, right?” 

“Y-yes. I just don't want to invade your privacy” she suddenly rasped. 

Nelly felt a little relieved at that, “You wouldn't be invading my privacy at all. I mean, you might get stalked by my kids but I'd welcome you if you wanted to.” 

She laughed softly, sounding quite tired, “How would they like that though? A random girl coming to stay with their papa?” 

“I'd be more concerned if they lived here” Nelly rolled his eyes a bit, “Otherwise, they'll live.” 

“I-if you think so. I promise, I'll pay you back and everything and won't be there long at all and you'll barely even notice me!” 

Nelly sighed, “None of that. Um, I can come pick you up after I'm done with dinner.” 

“Oh, I can take a train so you don't have to drive a million miles. Mineral, right?” 

He nodded, “Yea, that's right. I'll, uh, get you from the station, at least.” 

“Sounds good. Thank you so much, I was so freaked...” 

“It's no problem” he said soothingly. 

Little did he know, he was the one that should be 'so freaked'. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Oh! Your house is so pretty, Nelly!” gasped Eve, staring around the living room. 

He set her bags down by the doorway and pondered which of his kids room wasn't covered in a blanket of dust. “Thank you. It's a little old-fashioned but...” 

She shook her head emphatically, “Not at all!” 

Nelly smiled and stuffed his hands in his pockets, “You hungry? My daughter-in-law left the leftover dinner they made.” 

“Oh no, I'm fine. I was eating when all that craziness went down” she laughed slowly, “It was so scary.” 

He frowned and grabbed her shoulders, directing her to the couch, “Then I'll get you some cake.” 

She pouted but seemed pleased when he returned with Roomi's awesomely decadent triple chocolate cake and a scoop of ice-cream for both of them. It felt a little weird in the silence of the night and he considered turning on the television to lighten the awkwardness, but... 

Nelly blushed when she set her plate down and suddenly curled into his side, “You know, I called him to tell him what happened and he didn't even pick up. I called him three whole times. I mean, I suppose he could be busy but he's been so strange lately. I worry...” 

He absently stroked her shoulder, shaking his head, “I can't tell you, Eve. Maybe he just needs some time to find his self or something. I've never met him so I can't particularly judge what he may be doing...” 

Eve nodded, sighing, “Thank you for picking up though. And oh my God, letting me stay with you! I know this must be weird.” 

“I have lived alone for quite a few years” he shrugged with a sigh, “I'm sure it'll be fine though. But I better go clean up one of the kid's old rooms, they're like dust traps.” 

She blinked her red eyes at him, “You don't have to.” 

Confused for a moment, he gasped a little as she kissed him, her tongue darting between his lips. Wha...? 

He flustered when he realized where she was going with this... 

She wanted to share _his_ room. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _Mmm, your bed's so nice.”_

_Nelly yawned and stroked her bright blonde hair, his crisp sheets snaked around their hips. She was curled into his side, rubbing his bare chest. She returned the yawn as he turned slightly on his side to mess with his alarm clock. “Your's would be good too if both of us could be in it at the same time without having to lie directly on top of each other.”_

_She giggled, “I know, I know. Maybe I'll get at least a full one day.”_

_He kissed her forehead, “I have to wake up mad early for my animals so I hope your rest isn't disturbed.”_

“ _Mm, no, I'll be fine, I'm a heavy sleeper” she murmured sleepily._

“ _Alright. Good night” he said, his eyes closing._

“ _Good night, Nelly.”_

Nelly sighed slightly as he walked into the house, looking around awkwardly. Did he really do this? 

He just let some girl take over a spot in his bed that he'd sworn wouldn't be filled again just because she kissed him. Furthermore, he was letting this girl live with him. Maybe it was just for a couple weeks but at the same time, it was just crazy. What was happening to him? 

His eyes widened as the smell of something wafted through the room. Wha? Wandering towards the kitchen, he blinked, startled, finding Eve stirring something at the stove. She looked up and smiled brightly at him. “Hi! Wow, you do work a long time! It's already lunch time!” 

“Ha, yea, I guess I've gotten used to it” he smiled some, tilting his head, “Um, what are you doing?” 

Eve clasped her hands together, “I hope you don't mind! I passed by an awesome vegetable market and it had such pretty fragrant ingredients, I had to get some! And since you're letting me stay here, I thought the least I could do is cook for you.” 

“O-oh no, that's not necessary” he blurted. 

She kissed him, making him melt...and he figured that out too. “You do that to get your way, huh?” 

Eve giggled and kissed the corner of his jaw, “That, and I like kissing you.” 

He pinked and sat with a sigh. Then again, maybe this was okay. His eyes widened a little as she gave him one of his beers and looked a little shy, “Um, also, I have to say 'sorry'. I kind of had a moment and forgot where I was so I answered your phone by accident.” 

He paused as he brought the bottle up to his lips before gawking, “What?” 

“Yea, I think it was your brother. Koji?” she frowned thoughtfully. 

Jesus Christ. 

Eve looked sincerely upset, “I'm sorry, Nelly, it was wrong of me but it was an accident, I swear!” 

“...It's fine” he groaned, standing and smiling a little, “It's no harm.” 

That was a laugh. Going into the living room, he sighed and called Koji. Why the hell did that punk call his house phone anyway? Like, Nelly had that purely for emergency. 

...Uh oh, was it an emergency? Feeling a little hectic, he tapped his toe as the phone rang for a long few minutes before there was an answer. Koji's voice sounded dry and that made Nelly grimace. 

“Hey, you, uh, called?” 

“Mm hmm” Koji mumbled. 

“Uh, you okay? You sound out of it.” 

“Peachy.” 

Uh oh, his other half was being bitchy about something. “What I do, futago?” 

“I'm kind of wondering when you got serious enough to let someone live with you again” he mumbled grumpily. 

“She's not living with me, jeez. She's staying with me since her apartment was like shot up. I'd tell you if I was in that deep a relationship, asshole, duh.” 

“Meh” Koji said rather weakly. 

“Are you okay?” Nelly tried again, his brow furrowing. 

“I'm fine.” 

Nelly rolled his eyes and slumped, “Then why did you call my freakin' _house_ phone?” 

“No reason.” 

“Ugh, damn it, stop being so stupid!” 

Koji probably rolled his eyes and replied, “I wasn't feeling so hot at work and my cell phone had died so I only remembered your house number and was going to ask you to drive me home. I was a little shocked when 'Eve' picked up and I ended up just telling her that I was calling just to say 'hi' and drove myself home somehow.” 

Nelly winced. Sheesh, Koji would pretty much shoot himself in the foot before he admitted that he was sick and he actually called him for help once? Why hadn't she told him? 

“I told her not to tell you and that I'd call you back later.” 

“...Oh.” Idiot. 

He heard Koji's bed creak and he groaned, “Anyway, I'm fine. I guess I just felt light-headed and tired. Everything's peachy now.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Of course. Now, tell me again how this 'she's staying with me for a few weeks' happened?” 

Nelly groaned himself and quickly explained the situation in more detail. Koji yawned after a few moments of silence before responding, “Well, I guess that's nice of you. Just how do your kids feel about it?” 

“How should they feel?” Nelly muttered, “Like I know anyway. They're adults, I'm an adult, I can do what I want.” 

Koji sighed, “I suppose.” 

“Anyway, you want to come over? I know you when you're sick, you refuse to eat.” 

“Good thing I'm not sick.” 

“Please don't start that up again” Nelly rolled his eyes, “Just come over, _please_? I feel kind of bad now.” 

His twin made some weird noise indicating he was stretching, “You'll let me meet your little sugar baby? How strange.” 

“Sugar baby? Really?” 

Koji snickered and sighed, “Well, whatever, I guess. I'm feeling a little better anyway.” 

“I'm not sure I want you to meet her now” snorted Nelly. 

“What-ever. See you soon.” 

Nelly sighed and stood, wandering back to the kitchen. Eve glanced at him and bit her lip, looking nervous, “Oh, it was important, wasn't it? I was such an idiot but he insisted I not tell you...” 

He rolled his eyes, “Don't worry, Eve, the only idiot was him. I'm going to go take a shower and warn you that the ass is coming over for lunch so don't mind him.” 

“Oh, okay. He didn't seem like a bad guy” she said brightly. 

“We'll see.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Mm, this is delicious” complimented Koji as they sat outside on the deck. 

Eve clapped, rather delighted, “Oh, thank you!” 

Nelly chewed, glowering at his twin who was being strangely...delightful, “How'd you get out of work again, futago?” 

Koji smiled brightly at Nelly, “I told Shiori to shove it.” 

Nelly had to snicker, “Well, last I checked, she wasn't your boss.” 

“I'm my own boss after forty years” Koji snickered, “She's the one that yelled at me about it the most, stupid...lady.” 

Nelly almost grinned, knowing that wasn't anywhere near what his brother was going to say. Eve suddenly looked perplexed. “You're in a business firm, correct? Is it Tanaka Shiori?” 

Koji looked surprised, “Why, yes. Do you know her?” 

“She was my senpai” Eve explained with an eye roll, “She was the bossy type. The one that would argue if she got a 99 on a test because she wanted a hundred. Thinks she's the best, basically.” 

“Oh my God, that _is_ her” Koji groaned, rubbing his temple. 

She giggled and Nelly smirked widely, “Maybe she likes you.” 

“The hell she does!” 

“I can see her not exactly knowing what to do with that situation” admitted Eve with a laugh, shaking her head, “She was so studious, I doubt she had much time for boyfriends and the like so she probably would take the kindergarten route and pretend to hate you.” 

“Oh Jesus” Koji rolled his eyes, “I doubt it. I'm not her type.” 

“Oh, you never know...” Nelly sighed airily. 

Koji sulked at this possibility before his phone started to beep. Taking it out of his pocket, he frowned, “Well, it's been great, but my wife is requesting my presence.” 

He stood and bowed, “Thank you for lunch. It was delicious.” 

“You're welcome! It was nice to meet you. Nelly talks about you all the time!” 

“Well, I hope I changed all previous opinions of me, going off that.” 

Nelly snickered, shoving him, “C'mon, I'll walk with you.” 

Eve started picking up plates and Nelly scowled, “Hey, you made the food, I'll do that. You go get to your school work and stuff.” 

“No, I couldn't! I made the mess!” 

He waved a hand, “Leave it. I'll do it, I swear. Dishes are my job.” 

“Okay...” she smiled reluctantly. 

Nelly pressed her to start reading while he was away and finally walking from the house with Koji at his side. “So I can tell things are boiling in your skull.” 

“Mm” Koji remarked, “I mean, she's .really... _adorable_.” 

Nelly cocked a brow towards him, “Now why do I get the idea that's not a good thing?” 

“Oh, it is” Koji reiterated quickly, “Just, y'know, she just seems like the type that would become enamored with you. Catch my drift?” 

“Not exactly. She has a boyfriend.” 

His brother looked exasperated, “Oh, she has a boyfriend that is missing in action while she's in a building getting shot at. He is also apparently getting 'distant'. So here _you_ come with your reliableness and your offering her a place to stay in her time of need and keeping her company. She'll get attached to you, bro, there's no doubt about it.” 

Nelly digested this before shaking his head, “I...I dunno, I guess you're right. But it won't be much longer until this guy is back and she realizes she doesn't want to be with an old geezer.” 

“Well, what is it that the geezer wants?” Koji suddenly questioned. 

“Eh?” 

...What did he want? He just...he didn't know, it wasn't like he went out looking for her, she kind of found him. He really just wanted companionship. To think that she might get 'enamored' with him was kind of troubling but... 

...What did he want? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Like, day-u-u-m-m-m-m, she's f--king _hot_ ” Roomi said, gazing through binoculars. 

“I know, I'd tap that” Gwen agreed. 

“She ain't all that...” Kyo said absently. 

“Bleach blonde's _so_ last year” Jyun rolled his eyes. 

Shimizu Hoshiko, feeling very distraught over this, couldn't help but snicker at her brothers and sister-in-laws, “Good attempt at gender role reversal there, guys.” 

Their father had slipped and let them in on the fact that for whatever reason, his 'lady friend' was living with him temporarily. This greatly excited everyone. 

...Except her. 

Jyun took the binoculars and looked to the girl who was sitting outside on the porch, reading a book, “Well, hopefully my beautiful sexy wife won't protest my observation but she is definitely a fine piece of ass.” 

“Careful, Gwen might go raging feminist on you for that comment” warned Kyo. 

Gwen elbowed him and Roomi snickered, “She is sexy.” 

Jyun cocked a brow at her before gasping, “ _Oh my God_ , you're bi! Stop looking at women!” 

“Sheesh, _I'll_ never forget Roomi's bi...” Kyo muttered under his breath, referring back to past more promiscuous days. 

“Ey, watch your effin' mouth. That's my wife!” Jyun snapped. 

“Why don't you _make_ me?” Kyo countered. 

“Oh, so you want to take this _outside,_ punk ass bitch?” glared Jyun almost possessively. 

“Might as well, bastard, we're already _here_!” countered Kyo. 

Jyun tackled him and they wrestled, Roomi cocking a brow at them. Gwen just stared, “I worry about those two.” 

Hoshiko smirked, “Don't worry, 'baka' is in their blood, it's nothing really to be concerned about.” 

Roomi smirked at that as well before glancing back at the 'mystery woman'. “I'm so shocked by Nelly-papa though. I thought he'd never get over what happened and here he is letting his girly stay with him.” 

“I think it's nice” Gwen remarked, “There's really no feeling worse than thinking you don't want to love again, I think.” 

Hoshiko frowned at that. It was true, but... 

...But? 

“Ever get that feeling you're being watched though?” Kyo suddenly said, him and Jyun's fight over as quickly as it started. 

“Sort of” Jyun cocked a brow. 

They all frowned for a moment thoughtfully before all pretty much in unison looking behind them where Nelly stood, staring down at them all huddled and crouched together, his ams crossed and giving them that 'look'. 

“Oh, hi dad” Kyo said rather normally. 

“Can I ask what you knuckleheads are doing?” 

Jyun cleared his throat, “Well, see, about that...” 

Nelly leered at them and Roomi squealed, “She's so pretty, Nelly-papa! Can we meet her?” 

“I want to meet your lady-friend, dad-d-d-y-y” whined Kyo loudly. 

“No!” 

“By 'no' you really mean 'yes', right?” Kyo cocked a brow. 

“Don't you _all_ have children you need to take care of?”   
  


“We dropped them off on Julius so Fujiwako could set Kaori straight and Akira and Kairi are best friends” announced Kyo proudly. 

Nelly groaned and glanced towards Eve who was smiling in his direction. Ugh, his bakas. “Fine, but only for a second.” 

“Yay!” 

“Uh, actually dad,” Hoshiko suddenly blurted, “I'm going to go check on Julius. Six kids is kind of crazy now that I think about it.” 

Nelly frowned, “Oh, okay.” 

She quickly took her leave and Nelly felt a sense of unease. What was that? 

Before he could question her brothers, the foursome were already to her side, speaking with her. Ugh. Glancing back at the entrance, watching Hoshiko pull away, he pursed his lips. Something was up. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Twiddle dee, twiddle dum, I need to talk to you.” 

Jyun and Kyo were now outside as the girls all chattered about something inside. Nelly leaned against the house and glowered at them and Kyo blinked slowly. “Well, old man, I have a question for _you:_ have you ever done a girl in the ass? It seems extremely gross and disturbing but I find myself increasingly curious.” 

Nelly stared at him for a long few moments before smacking him in the back of the head, “Ow!” 

Jyun smirked, rolling his eyes around, “What's up, dad?” 

“I don't even remember now after that” grumbled Nelly before shaking his head, “No. Why is your sister being kind of skiddish?” 

Jyun blinked slowly, “You really don't know?” 

“I wouldn't ask if I did” sighed Nelly. 

“Well, she hates that you're dating again.” 

Nelly opened his mouth to claim once more that he was not dating but faltered, startled, “...What?” 

Kyo shrugged, rubbing the back of his head, “She doesn't like this whole deal with Eve whatsoever.” 

“Then why wouldn't you tell me that?” Nelly demanded, finding himself getting angry for some reason. 

“Because one, Hoshiko didn't want us to. Two, she needs to get over it” Jyun shrugged as well, “I mean, I'm not going to lie to you, dad, but this will always be bittersweet.” 

Nelly felt bewildered and Kyo nodded absently, “I mean, of course we're happy you're moving on. You seem a lot more lively like the dad we know. But at the same time, this just makes everything seem so...different.” 

Jyun agreed, “I know that you're not in a committed relationship with her but nevertheless, this is another woman in your life. We've grown up with you with one person and now, you've had to move on to another. It's not your fault at all but it's still painful in it's own way.” 

Kyo frowned back towards the house, “She or any other woman will ever be our 'mother' but we don't want to see you alone. It's one of those 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' kind of things and I don't know how to put it any differently.” 

“We want what's best for you” Jyun amended, “And Hoshi does too. I think it'll just take her a little longer to accept it.” 

Nelly finally swallowed as they seemed done talking and he looked away. 

He wanted to say 'I'm sorry'. 

Never did he want his kids to feel like this in regards to his own happiness. 'Damned if you do, damned if you don't'? They're going to feel horrible regardless of if he's got a girlfriend or not? What _was_ that? It wasn't even unreasonable either and that just angered him... 

Jyun and Kyo exchanged a brief glance before looking back to him, “I'm sorry if you found any of that troubling, dad. We'll get over it.” 

...Part of him wanted to march in and ask Eve to leave, to tell her that his kids would never accept this. Then the other part ached at the idea of spending another night completely alone with absolutely no prospects of intimate companionship. 

...Fuck you, Elli. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Yagami Jyun, I cannot believe you!” Roomi scolded her husband deeply, throwing ingredients out of the fridge. 

Jyun stood at the counter numbly, chopping carrots, “I...I don't _think_ it has anything to do with what we told him!” 

“Like hell it didn't!” she snapped, “You might as well have told him we'd like you to stay alone for all eternity because we'll never accept anyone else in your life!” 

“It wasn't _like_ that” Jyun agonized, “I just told him that it'd never be the same for us and you have to see that that's _reasonable._ No 21-year-old girl is ever going to resemble our mother!” 

Roomi glowered at him, mixing together something,“You don't need to look for someone to resemble your mother, Jyun. You need to look at someone that makes your father happy because someone he deeply loved broke his heart. How could either of you tell him something like that when he was finally moving on?” 

He slammed his palms down on the counter, irritated, before muttering, “So he's not going out of his way to see her. That could mean anything. For all we know, she ended it or...or she's busy. She was kicked out of her apartment for two weeks and you saw the reports of how people were pissed at how ransacked the places were. She could be putting that all back together.” 

“After a month, huh?” she remarked sarcastically. 

Jyun glared at his hands before closing his eyes and shaking his head. He supposed he should have lied and not mentioned that him or his siblings had any issues with his dad's new pursuit. But the man had never raised them to be liars. That one lie seemed to be horrible enough as is. 

But from what they could tell, he hadn't been out with the girl since she'd left after her complex allowed her back. He seemed to not even mention her in general anymore 

...What had they done? Damn it. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

_God, how long ago was this? He was coming down the mountain, carrying soaking wet wood, his body suffering the same fate. Back then he wondered how his baby sister put up with this along with all the crazy dumbasstasticness of her male suitors. It was late, dark, and he wanted extra firewood in case the rain turned to snow as it'd been predicted._

_Setting the wood on the front stoop, he shivered and pushed the front door open. He breathed contently, the house quite toasty. The rain tapped against the metal roof and he grimaced as his shoes squelched. Ugh, he hated rain._

“ _There you are! Are you trying to catch a chill?”_

_He looked up and there she was._

_Elli was wearing that knee-length sleeved dress, the one that showed off her breasts, her legs, and her waist. God, he loved that dress on her._

_...Why was he remembering something like this?_

_They'd just gotten married, he remembered more. She marched up to him, pursing her lips, as she unbuttoned his shirt after taking off his jacket. “Get out of these wet clothes. What would people think if one of the only nurse's in towns husband got sick?”_

_Nelly gazed down at her as she peeled the shirt he had on off. She paused as she started to unbutton his pants before flustering though continuing, “I bet you like this.”_

“ _I'm not going to lie...yes.”_

_Elli smirked up at him for a moment before hooking her thumbs in his boxers. He actually kind of jumped and grabbed her hands, “Whoa lady, you better be ready to compensate if you take those off.”_

“ _Don't be silly” she scolded, pinking, yanking them down his hips before stopping._

_He moaned as she sank to her knees, her tongue teasing the tip of his member, kissing down his shaft. Running his hands through her hair, he remembered the few times she took the lead, was this forward._

_Nelly had never made love to a woman, he supposed, until he met her. What he had with those women in high school and college was sex. F—king. A raw need that was satisfied not because he loved any of them, but because he lusted them, and they always paid in full. But 'making love', as horribly cheesy and corny as it sounded, was completely different, satisfying because he satisfied her...because he..._

_They were by the fire afterwards, Elli lying in his arms, the throw on a majority of her body at his own discretion. She made a soft sigh sound as she rested her chin against his chest gingerly after she kissed it. “Do you want to sleep here tonight? I'm comfortable.”_

_He grinned lazily, “I'd have to get us a bigger blanket but I'm cool with that.”_

“ _But then you'd have to move” she pouted, “However, you're right. It'd be bad if we stayed down here and got sick.”_

_Elli yelped as she turned him over under him, kissing her neck, down her body, “Don't worry, I'll definitely keep you warm.”_

_She giggled as he kissed a tickle spot and kneed him away, “Nelly, stoppit...”_

_He chuckled and pressed his forehead against hers, “Lemme go get a blanket.”_

“ _Alright” she ceded with a sigh._

_Running off, he brought a few down and they made a warm nest, snuggling there all night. He remembered not sleeping a bit, watching her as she slept. A woman like Elli wouldn't have fazed him at one time. He recalled telling Koji once that the man seemed to prefer 'exotic' women and so did he, to an extent. But Elli kind of reminded him of himself, the typical brown-eyed brunette. But she was still beautiful all the same._

_He fell asleep at some point, waking to his wife wandering around in just his shirt, making him breakfast. She smiled at him, kissed him, told him 'good morning' and then, when he parted for a long day in the fields with the animals, 'have a good day'._

_...And 'I love you'._

_He went and worked all day, came home to her having his dinner finished, then they fell asleep in each other's arms. He remembered it like it just happened._

_He remembered that he loved her._

Nelly woke with a start when the doorbell rang. He gazed around wildly, confused. What? The hell? 

It was raining which explained the flashback but he certainly didn't remember falling asleep on the couch. He glanced towards the door again when it rang, wondering who was nutty enough to be out right now. Standing, he sighed and pushed it open, shocked. 

Eve. 

After his sons made their admittance, he didn't want to see her too often anymore. And yea, well, she confessed to him when he sent a kind of worried text, worried only because he didn't want her to think she'd done something wrong, that she was so-o-o busy and that she really wanted to hang out with him soon. He was okay with that. 

He guessed 'soon' had come. 

He smiled wordlessly as she giggled, hugging his neck, “Hi! I missed you.” 

“I missed you too” he said, blushing as she kissed his lips. 

Pulling away, wearing a short red trench coat, she skipped in after taking off her rain boots and turned, her hands behind her back, “So how have you been? I'm sorry, you should have seen what they did to my apartment. I felt like my privacy was raped when I got back. They found stuff I never want anyone to see!” 

Nelly couldn't help but grin a little, “Naughty stuff?” 

“A lady never tells” she winked a red eye. 

He chuckled and looked outside, “You came on a super rainy night though.” 

“Those are the best, Nelly. Especially for what I have planned for you” she purred. 

His eyes widened as she unfastened the belt around her coat, opening it and revealing a satin red teddy with a frilly thong. He swallowed hard and grinned nervously, “Um, wow. You came dressed _just_ in that? That's way dangerous.” 

“Oh silly, your town is so harmless it's almost ridiculous” she waved her hand, sauntering over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and licked his lips, “Have you really missed me though?” 

He knew Eve's type, the type that would tease him to tears and make him want to take her in every edge of his house. Truly, he thought that after Elli he was over that kind of thing. 

Psh, what the hell did he know? 

She gasped as he threw her over his shoulder and walked up the steps, “Believe me, lady, you've been missed.” 

It wasn't a lie. He missed her. It only took her two weeks to totally destroy his tolerance of being alone. He wanted to call her but his duty as a father just made him realize he couldn't. 

Dropping her in bed, he crawled over her and realized that he couldn't stand being alone. Koji was right, he despised it, it made him hurt. What had their dad said to them? He was _born_ with another person, how could he handle such a thing? Frankly, he couldn't. Not healthily, anyway. 

Her long legs wrapped around his hips and he felt relief. Was that all he wanted from Eve? Relief? There had to be more than that. 

She kissed him and he felt his mind go blank. Maybe...maybe he was thinking about this too much though. Maybe...maybe that was all he needed. 

They screwed around for an hour or so and he lied flat on his back as they finally took a break. He breathed faintly as she rubbed his inner thigh. He smirked towards her, her red eyes betraying what she wanted from him. 

“Such a frisky girl...” 

Eve giggled, crawling on top of him, straddling his waist, “Nelly-kun, I have a confession to make.” 

He moaned as she kissed down his neck, “What's that...?” 

“Mmm, this _whole_ time since I left, I've only thought of you when I touch myself...” she whispered into his ear sexily. 

...Hot damn. “Ooh...” 

Somehow, as hot and arousing as that was, it was a little troubling too. What Koji said couldn't really come true unless he was really willing to accept it. And he might accept that 'relief' may be enough but a relationship? A new one? 

...Maybe? 

He jumped when his doorbell rang again and growled. Eve giggled, sitting up, “It might be your kids.” 

“Yea, that means I really need to ignore it” he muttered, trying to hug her again. 

She laughed and shoved him away, “I'm not going anywhere, silly. If you don't mind, I intended to stay the night.” 

“Well, of course” he agreed, reluctant to leave, “...Ugh, I'm sorry. I'll be right back.” 

“Tell me if it's an emergency though and I'll go home” she frowned. 

He snorted, kissing her, “If it's an emergency, which I _doubt_ , stay here. I don't want you going home in that skimpy piece of cloth, safe or not.” 

She pouted, “Okay.” 

Eve lied on her side and watched him attempt to redress. He was pretty aroused, not quite 'upright' but pretty darn close so it wasn't pleasant to be wearing pants again. He hissed and didn't even manage to zip up completely. She giggled, “Poor baby. Don't be long.” 

“Definitely” he groaned, pulling his button up shirt on without bothering to close it. He sure as hell wasn't getting decent to tell his sons to 'beat it'. 

Wandering down the steps, he took a deep breath to calm himself, noticing he was kind of sticky with sweat. Oh well. Opening the door, he opened his mouth at the same time and his heart went absolutely insane. 

Elli. 

She stood there, a man dressed in black, her bodyguard he assumed, behind her. He gaped at her and wondered what...was happening. His eyes couldn't help droop to notice her swelling belly...what... 

What was happening? 

The woman, her eyes stamped on his face, glowered, “...Do you usually answer the door like that now, Nelly? All undressed and unkempt?” 

“...Well, it's _my_ house, if you hadn't noticed” he couldn't help bite back snippily. 

Elli snorted rather delicately and he nearly swallowed his tongue but spat out, “W-what do you want anyway? I don't know if you remember but we're divorced and there's really no need for me to see you ever again.” 

She simply rolled her eyes and glared at him, “Will you let me in so we can talk for a second? It's a little cool out here.” 

He considered it for a second before grunting, scooting back to allow them in. “Let's make this quick. I was a little busy before you got here.” 

She cocked a brow at him before shaking her head, “I want the crib.” 

Nelly stared at her blankly. Crib? What crib? Was she... 

... _CRAZY?_

“Um, I know--” he laughed and had to pause so he didn't fly off the handle, “I _know_ you're not asking for _my_ children's crib.” 

“Yes” she said simply. 

“You mean the crib _I_ built for _my_ first child? The one I put weeks into? The one all three of _my_ children slept in? You want that for _your_ child?” 

Man, if looks could kill. Elli gave him a burning gaze, “I'm sorry, those first few sentences got me. I think they're _our_ children.” 

“Could've damn fooled me” he snarled. 

Elli looked exasperated, “You don't even _understand,_ Nelly!” 

“Lucky I don't _want_ to understand why you disowned my kids! I guess they're not rich enough, huh? You had them with a lowly farmer, after all” he said angrily. 

“How dare you!” she snapped, just as infuriated. 

“I dare” he countered, “And I'll end it. No. You're out of your damn mind if you think I'll give you something that special that _I_ built just for _my_ children. You have a ridiculously rich husband so why don't you get him to ship you a crib made from marble and lace? Why do you need a rickety old crib that I built four decades ago?” 

She pursed her lips, “I love that crib, thank you. It's not like you're having anymore kids!” 

“Don't be stupid. Just because I'm not going to magically bend biology to have babies, unlike _some_ people, doesn't mean I'm going to get rid of something so sentimental!” 

“Nelly, you're being unreasonable!” Elli proclaimed. 

“I think I have the _right_ to be when it comes to you” he snarled. 

Elli leered at him angrily, “ _Nelly_ \--” 

He scowled as she stopped mid-sentence, her face registering extreme surprise as she gazed at something over his shoulder. 

Which was the steps... 

And the only thing up the steps was... 

Nelly slowly, painfully, looked over his shoulder and found Eve peeking down. She 'meeped' and quickly waved her hands, bowing rapidly, “I-I'm so sorry, I heard all the yelling and thought something was wrong! I'm sorry to interrupt!” 

He rubbed his face and pursed his lips, his heart beating erratically because all hell was about to break loose. Elli was utterly dumbfounded. 

“I-it's fine, Eve. Go on back, I'll be up there in a few” he offered. 

She bit her lip, nodded, and mouthed 'I'm sorry' before scurrying towards the bedroom. Nelly stared after her, more because he wasn't quite prepared to face what his ex-wife had to say. Nor would he be...ever. 

“You know what!” he suddenly blurted with a laugh, “You're absolutely right, I'm not having anymore kids. Lemme grab you that crib!” 

If it meant she got out of here without saying anything. Rushing towards the steps to the basement, he heard Elli's footsteps following fast on his heels. Oh God. 

“ _Who_ is that, Nelly?” 

“No one...” he stated quickly, “Just...a friend.” 

“A friend?” she barked, “A _friend_ that's in o-- in _your_ room, half-naked?” 

He found the old crib in the corner and grabbed it, “Look, it's not any of your business, Elli!” 

“How _old_ is she?” she snapped. 

“Again--” 

She gave him that look that turned his will and nerve into mush and made him spill his guts. “21.” 

Elli's jaw nearly hit the ground, “ _21_? Nelly, you're-you're involved with someone younger than our youngest child?!” 

“Leave me alone!” he snapped, “ _You_ can't tell me who I can sleep with! _Especially_ you! How old is _your_ husband?” 

“He definitely wasn't still college aged” she countered hotly. 

Nelly was growing increasingly agitated, “What. Is. It. To. _You_?” 

She flinched back and he shoved the crib into the embarrassed guard's arms, “You got what you wanted now get the hell out.” 

Elli's shoulders squared and she hissed, “I can't believe you.” 

She marched away and he watched after them. His heart started to ache and he glared at the random stuff they had down there. Without a second thought, he picked up whatever was closest and threw it across the room, screaming through gritted teeth. 

Why? How dare she? How dare she come here and actually try to _lecture_ him about _his_ relationships? Like she wasn't screwing her bitch of a husband when she was with him! After they were married for _three_ decades! Three children! She couldn't believe _him_?! _Him_? 

“Nelly...” 

He seethed, his shoulders trembling erratically as Eve appeared, wearing one of his shirts, staring at him worriedly, “A-are you okay? I'm sorry, I...I did think something was wrong. I didn't want to cause you any trouble.” 

Nelly closed his eyes, burying his face in his hands before laughing bitterly, “I was a complete ass before I met her. I-I wasn't planning on ever truly getting tied down and-and what did I do? I married her and loved her and wanted to spend all my life with her and what does she do? _What_? She cheats on me and now? Now she's trying to tell me that what _I'm_ doing is wrong? _Me_!?” 

Eve grimaced and slowly walked to him, hugging his neck, “...That's her loss, you know? You didn't do anything wrong.” 

His jaw ticked and she smiled sadly, “I think we fall in love with the completely wrong people sometimes. Don't you?” 

He gazed down at her before he kissed her, not wanting her to see the tear roll down his cheek,”Yea...I guess we did.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Are you listening to me?” 

Yagami Nerimaru glared irritably at his twin who seemed to be a hundred miles away as they sat inside a cafe. He was trying to vent and that was usually what Koji was good for in his own horrible way. Not today apparently. He glanced at Nelly absently before grimacing, shaking his head, “Ugh, I'm sorry, man. I'm...not with it.” 

Nelly's brow furrowed, “...Are you okay? I haven't seen you like this in a while.” 

Koji waved a hand, “It's...nothing. What's wrong?” 

He crossed his arms and leaned back, “Tell me.” 

“No! It's nothing, I'll live--I hate her!” he suddenly yelled at the end of the sentence he started off normally, slapping his hands against the table. 

Nelly's eyes widened exponentially and glanced around, people kind of staring blankly back at them, “Uh, you...have something on your chest too, futago?” 

“...You first” Koji sobbed, burying his face in his hands. 

“...Elli came by last night” he groaned, slumping. 

Koji parted his fingers and stared at him, “ _What_?” 

Nelly sighed once more and Koji snarled, “She came by. She _really_ came by? After what that bitch did to you? Is she dumb?” 

“She wanted the crib...” he said miserably, “I was so _stupid_ because I gave it to her, just like that, to get her out of my house. I gave her the crib that I built with my own hands for my kids, my sons, my daughter, so she could put some other bastard's baby in it. I want to go to that mansion and tell her to give it back but it's my fault.” 

“No it's not” Koji hissed, “Don't worry, I'll get it back for you.” 

“Oh no you don't. I don't want to see that woman and she'd come guns blazing if you went on a mission of destruction.” 

Koji rolled his eyes and muttered, “I guess.” 

“Well, I have to admit, you somehow turned my anguish into curiosity. What's going on in the world of Koji that's got you all out of sorts?” Nelly questioned, sipping his coffee. 

“...Remember when Eve told me that it's possible that Shiori likes me?” he said awkwardly. 

“Yea?” 

Koji slumped, “I teased her, told her what Eve had said and she flew off the deep end and next thing I know she's got me pinned against the wall, laying one on me.” 

Nelly's eyes widened, shocked, “Eh?” 

“She _kissed_ me” Koji whined, rubbing his forehead, “I feel like _such_ trash right now as a result too! I didn't instigate it but I still feel like I cheated on my Po.” 

Nelly whistled, “Wow, that's so weird. I mean, what did she do after it was over?” 

“Pretended it was my fault because _naturally_ that's the thing to do” he muttered, rolling his eyes. 

“Dang” Nelly rolled his eyes as well, “The women around us are nuts.” 

Koji leaned back, staring at the ceiling, “Do you think I should tell Popuri? It's like I'm lying to her if I don't but then it'd seem, you know, important if I did. And it wasn't important, I don't have any feelings whatsoever for this girl.” 

Nelly scratched his chin and sucked his cheek thoughtfully, “Honestly? I don't really know. I mean, you guys have that open kind of relationship and it'd probably eat you up not to tell her. However, don't take this badly but sometimes your wife takes things the wrong way.” 

“She does” Koji agreed with a sigh, “I mean, she could turn this into something big and go and beat Shiori up.” 

“Which may be worth it” Nelly pointed out. 

Koji smirked at him before closing his eyes, “Now as for you, you need to man up a little more.” 

“What?” 

“You just gave her this crib, knowing full well what she had planned for it! Nelly, I know you hate me for saying this but man, I _know_ you” Koji scowled deeply, “You still actually _love_ her, don't you?” 

... _ **WHAT**_? 

“Are you insane?” Nelly started out bitterly, “Like clinically mentally nuts? Out of your effin' mind?” 

Koji didn't looked perturbed, “Don't even f—king sit here and lie to me, Nelly. That you let her into your house was crazy!” 

“I'm not a heartless bitch, Koji. She's pregnant and it was raining and cold!” Nelly countered. 

“I'm sure it was nice and warm in the car she took to drive to your place” Koji said plainly, “Which she would have been _forced_ to take back to her mansion if you'd slammed the door on her.” 

Nelly tapped his fingertips against the table, biting the corner of his lips, growing irate, “I don't love her. Not anymore. But she'll always be the mother of my kids so I'm not going to be a hundred percent ass to her.” 

Koji looked ready to say something but must have thought better of it as he leaned back, “...If you say so.” 

“I know so” Nelly amended hotly, “I have nothing but animosity. And you know what else? She met Eve!” 

Koji's eyes widened, “...What? What the hell? What'd she do?” 

“Flew off the deep end, lectured me on sleeping with young girls, and demanded to know what was wrong with _me_. Where does she get off, asking me a bulls—t question like that?” he snarled. 

“Wo-o-o-w-w. You had an insane night, didn't you?” Koji whistled before he frowned, “...Nelly.” 

“What?” he snipped. 

Koji sighed, rolling his eyes around, “Don't be angry with me, Nelly, I guess I can be wrong for once.” 

Nelly snorted indelicately and Koji stared at the ceiling, “...Was she acting odd? I mean, Elli. Did she say anything weird?” 

“Not really. Why?” 

“...No reason. Just...” 

Koji trailed off and Nelly wasn't sure what to make of this vagueness except that it was annoying him. “ _What_?” 

“...I could be wrong.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Oh! My poor baby!” 

“I'm only your 'poor baby' up until I'm dying. Any other time I'm an idiot.” 

Nelly couldn't help smile as he sat on the recliner, reading the paper, as their mother, the lovely Yagami Dana, fretted over Koji who had randomly gotten a fever at dinner night. It had been about a month since Elli and his little incident and he was pretty much over that. 

Now he was seeing a lot more of Eve. He hated to admit it but now? Now...he was interested in a little bit more. 

It wasn't like one day he decided that he wanted a relationship but something that slowly began to grow. She was just that breath of life he needed, a constant reminder of how things could be wonderful again. That asswipe of a boyfriend of hers? He didn't deserve her. Eve wept that he didn't call her for weeks on end, choked on sobs when he told her about his conquests in Italy. Where'd he learn to treat a woman? School of Uncaring Two-Timing Bastards? He must have beasted Insensitive Ass 101. 

He didn't believe he had what it took to whisk her away, to convince her to start over with him, of all people. Hell, he wasn't even sure it was what he wanted for himself completely yet. A relationship still seemed so foreboding. 

But he knew he wanted something again. Anything. 

Koji grumbled, his arms crossed, as their mother placed a cool cloth on his head, “It's a _low-grade_ fever, mother, _God_!” 

“There's no such thing!” Dana balked, glaring towards her husband, the esteemed Yagami Yamada. 

The blond man, who had Kairi fascinated with a lollipop, smiled, “It really does depend, darling. However, I wouldn't call 102.9 a low-grade, Koji.” 

Dana 'hmphed' and forced Koji on his back, kissing his cheeks, much to his disdain, “ _Christ_ mother, I'm too old for this!” 

“Shut up! I am your mother, you're never too old for anything!” she snapped, “Your cheeks are warm too!” 

“That's because you're kissing me!”   
  


Nelly laughed, shaking his head, resting the paper on the table, “Give it a rest, mother. All you're doing is flustering him more.” 

Their mother didn't seem pleased, “You need to take it easy, young man.” 

“Young man, my ass.” 

“Watch your mouth!” she pinched his cheek. 

“Ow!” 

Popuri walked in and sighed, holding a tray of tea and sandwiches, “I don't know why Koji's been getting so sick lately. He's worked from home for months, he usually isn't so stressed then.” 

Koji grimaced and Nelly rolled his eyes. His twin had went with the 'I'll pretend it never happened' option and, like Nelly had called, it was worrying him _sick._ Idiot. 

“Canni have a sandwich, Aunt Popuwee?” Kairi asked, cutely wandering up to the woman, his hands crossed before him as he gazed up at her sweetly. 

“Oh, of course, darling!” she cooed, handing him two for good measure, “You're so cute!” 

“And will be obese as long as he has all of you wrapped around his finger” Nelly snickered. 

Yamada smiled as Kairi returned to his side, “I don't know. He seems to have gotten Kyo's rapidly fast metabolism. He looks like he's the average weight for a child his age.” 

“God, Kyo nearly ate us out of house and home” Nelly groaned at the memories, “And oh, the hunger fits.” 

“I wish some of those hormone treatments worked” Yagami winced apologetically, “I mean, it doesn't seem like it's necessary as he seems okay now.” 

“I think he still has to eat and sleep pretty often to keep himself from crashing out” Nelly admitted, “Just not as bad as it was.” 

He didn't understand the biology or science behind it but they had been highly concerned when Kyo had an unnaturally large appetite, even as a little child. They used to try to keep him on a regimented diet as they didn't want him to be 'obese' but he'd wail in agony and they had been mortified to find out that he actually had lost a dangerous amount of weight. Yamada ran some tests and said that his body seemed to continuously be churning through energy, that for some reason it was like he was constantly in motion and that he'd lost all that weight because his body was just burning up everything he had in him. They'd been worried and put him on some treatments that had little real effect. After a while, well, they just let him be. Hell, he really didn't think Kyo knew why he had such an insane appetite but it didn't really matter. 

Nelly smirked at Kairi, seeming to also have inherited this odd 'trait', eating his sandwiches contently. Well whatever, he supposed. Just one of those “Yagami” oddities, he'd guess. 

“Papa? Are you okay?” 

Nelly glanced to the side and watched all their kids and family flow in like clockwork. Yukina Kaede rushed to her father's side. Koji rolled his eyes, “I'm fine, princess, just fine.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Positive” he sighed. 

All the kids sat with, well, their kids, Kyo trying to take some of Kairi's sandwich without much success. Nelly snickered. Ah well. Izumi Takeru, his hair bright red now, slammed down on the couch, 'Yuki', his guitar, on his knee, “How about a song to make you feel better, Uncle Koji?” 

“Sure” Koji smirked. 

Takeru closed his eyes and strummed out a slow beat. Nelly didn't recognize it off the top of his head though he slightly did...however, Kairi paused mid-bite of his second piece and his purple eyes widened. He climbed down from the couch almost hypnotized and wandered over to Takeru, amazed. Nelly cocked a brow. Uh? 

“Ground control to Major Tom. Ground control to Major Tom. Take your protein pills and put your helmet on” Takeru sang, “Ground control to Major Tom, commencing countdown, engines on. Check ignition and may God's love be with you...” 

Kairi looked excessively and strangely delighted...Takeru and everyone looked at him, wide-eyed, when he actually sang along, “This is ground control to Major Tom, you've really made the grade. And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear. Now it's time to leave the capsule if you dare. This is Major Tom to ground control, I'm stepping through the door. And I'm floating in the most peculiar way...and the stars look very different today-y-y-y. For here-e-e-e am I sitting in a tin can...far above the world. Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do...” 

He did a little happy dance during the random bridge and Nelly just blinked slowly...um? 

“Though I'm past one hundred thousand miles, I'm feeling very still...and I think my spaceship knows which way to go...tell my wife I love her very much. She know-w-w-s. Ground control to Major Tom, your circuit's dead, there's something wrong! Can you hear me Major Tom? Can you hear me Major Tom? Can you hear me Major Tom? Can you hear...and I'm floating in my tin can. Far above the moon. Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do...” Takeru and Kairi sang. 

Jyun stared blankly before shaking his head, “You have one _weird_ kid.” 

“He's adorable!” Dana cooed, “I loved that song growing up!” 

“Yea, when _we_ were growing up. Not exactly a 'recent' thing” Yamada chuckled, leaning back as he observed Kairi continue to dance around. 

“You never _did_ explain that to me” Kyo cocked a brow at Gwen. 

The blonde woman flustered, “I didn't really listen to a lot of Bowie even though I had him on my iPod and I was sick of all my other stuff so I got really attached to that song and I guess he heard it too.” 

“So he heard it in the womb and now he knows it by heart?” Kyo stated slowly. 

Nelly snickered, “He's smarter than the average bear then.” 

“Dude, I want to take him on tour with me!” Takeru gasped. 

Kyo snickered, “I think we'll pass on that for now.” 

Takeru pouted and Kairi suddenly squealed, running off after Shimizu Akira, his buddy. Jyun lifted his legs as his nephews nearly ran over his feet, the two passing under. “Oh, Akira was a good boy until your kid got here.” 

Kyo stuck his tongue out at his brother and scowled as Kaori yelled at poor Kamon in the background.“Why is Kaori such a psycho again? No one's yet to explain this to me.” 

“When you figure out a reason, for the love of God, tell me” groaned Julius, stumbling in, “The only thing I can think of is that she expected to be an only child and hates her siblings.” 

Koji coughed and glowered at his oldest son, Yagami Keiji, before shaking his head, “Nah, Keiji was a good kid, especially with his siblings.” 

“Kaede annoyed me a bit” Keiji grinned lazily, poking her cheek, “But I guess I got used to it.” 

Kaede elbowed him with a pout and Jyun stroked his chin, “I don't recall being _that_ upset _after_ Kyo was born. I mean, when he was in progress, I hated his guts. And I certainly didn't mind Hoshiko after him.” 

“I hated Hoshiko” Kyo admitted with a sigh. 

Nelly glared at him though Hoshiko herself snickered, “Yea, well, I'm sorry I took the attention.” 

“And my cookies” Kyo leered. 

Nelly smirked, “He'd be more upset about that than anything else.” 

Izumi Jill, their only sister, laughed, “I don't know, Jilliana and Carrie didn't really get along. And I don't think either of them much cared for Takeru.” 

“Well duh, you'd randomly have a baby for them to babysit when they're in their teens. I'd hate it too” snickered Koji. 

“I'm such an outcast” Takeru sobbed. 

Joe, Hotaru in his lap, scratched the back of his head, “I'm not going to lie, I despised how Kurt was always on my heels. Like a damn puppy.” 

Kurt glowered at him and Julius seemed to be taking this all in, “Well, Miyako used to hang out with her and she didn't seem to mind that but even Miyako's fed up with all this horridness. And Akira definitely stays away from her.” 

Roomi wandered in, wiping her hands on her apron, “And if anything, she seems to hold a grudge against _my_ baby most.” 

“Seriously. I don't know what Kamon could have possibly done to her” Jyun groaned. 

Yamada cleared his throat, “Maybe you should take her to some counseling? I'd hate to see this escalate into something that'll only become uncontrollable as she gets older.” 

“Well you guys had the most kids” Kyo blinked, “Was there any jealousy when some other kid came in the picture that would make a child act like this?” 

“It was different for us. A lot different” Nelly quickly interjected. 

Koji pursed his lips and glanced upward, “...Yea.” 

The kids frowned and Yamada and Dana exchanged a quick glance before the woman hastily insisted, “Oh, it was different, of course, but I would say that Jill and Tony had no issues really adjusting to Shaun.” 

“We were practically the same age” Jill said with a quiet snicker. 

“I, uh, must have asked something I shouldn't have” Kyo said slowly, “...Sorry.” 

Dana gasped, “Oh, of course not, dear! I mean, _well_...” 

“We didn't live with Shin until we were at least five” Koji shrugged awkwardly, interrupting, “And we didn't really have the time to be angry that we had more siblings or younger siblings. It was just life.” 

Roomi frowned, sitting on the edge of the couch as Jyun looked perplexed, “Really?” 

Dana smiled anxiously, folding her hands in her lap as she looked to her husband who looked just kind of numbed suddenly. “Oh, it's not really _that_ strange a story, of course! I'm from a rich family originally and I, uh, had to marry someone else.” 

This served as a shock to most of the grandchildren and their spouses. “Eh? Wait, Uncle Shin...?” 

“ _Is_ your Uncle” Dana stated firmly, looking to Yamada, “I met your grandfather before I was to be married and, well, we had Shin.” 

Keiji frowned, “But you still had to marry someone else?” 

“Oh, it was dreadful” she laughed humorlessly, “And your grandfather raised Shin alone for a long time.” 

Hattori Azuma, Jilliana's husband, frowned, glancing at Yamada, “...You still went to school while taking care of a child?” 

“Yes, but I wouldn't suggest it to anyone” Yamada laughed tiredly, as if the memory just made him exhausted. 

Kaede cocked a brow and glanced at her dad who was weirdly deadpanned, “Well, I'm going to guess dad and all below are grandpa's, of course.” 

“Neither of us wanted to be in that marriage” Dana stated simply, “So I carried on the way I wanted.” 

...It'd been a long time since Nelly had felt so anxious about something that didn't involve his wife or children. A _hella_ long time. He shot Koji a quick glance, just out of habit, out of knowledge, before shaking his head, “We don't need to talk about this.” 

“Yea...” Jill agreed silently. 

Dana looked hesitant and Yamada smiled diligently, “Let's just leave it at we don't really have a normal situation to help reflect on that sort of thing. And apparently none of our kids want to discuss it much.” 

“Oh...okay.” 

“In better news!” Dana suddenly clapped, “There's an opening I wanted you all to attend if you can.” 

“Uh, why...?” blinked Kaede. 

“Oh, I love showing off my family!” 

Kyo blinked at Nelly, “Might be cool. Daddy can bring his girlfriend.” 

Nelly snapped out of his blankness and glowered at his son, “You--” 

“That sounds like a _marvelous_ idea! I haven't met her yet!” Dana stated, pouting. 

“Ugh, mama!” 

“I won't take 'no' for an answer! It's next Saturday so make sure to invite her!” 

Ugh. 

“Oh daddy...” 

Nelly scowled before frowning, Kaede next to her father, pressing her hand to his forehead. He'd dozed off but Nelly could tell from across the room that he was burning up. Kaede bit her lip and glanced up to Keiji who'd stood and was leaning over him, “Go get some ice water?” 

He nodded and Dana started to fret again. Eventually though, everyone had circulated out of the room, Dana, Keiji, and Yamada leaving to find some aspirin and Popuri and Kaede making Koji some soup, leaving just him and his twin. 

Nelly leaned backwards against the couch and smiled bitterly after a moment, “I wonder if these bad things happen to me because what I did to you, Koji. If that's the reason, maybe I'd feel a little better.” 

Koji was completely out cold and Nelly pressed his fist to his lips. That couldn't be the reason, the reason why his life had fallen apart and now he wasn't even sure if he could love again. 

He sat up on his knees and leaned over, brushing his brother's sweaty bangs from his forehead before giving him a kiss. Pulling back, he rested his head on the edge of the couch. 

..It wouldn't be enough. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Eve giggled as she spooned a little cake into Nelly's mouth, “Is it good?” 

“Delicious” Nelly amended. 

She clapped, setting the cake down, sipping a glass of red wine, “I've had such a long day...” 

“Mm, me too” Nelly yawned. 

Eve smiled softly before staring up, “Nelly, can I tell you something?” 

“Of course.” 

She folded her hands in her lap over her pale skinny jeans, looking to the side in her small apartment, “I was considered for a work-study program in Italy. Y'know, where my lovely boyfriend is located? And I was thinking about taking it.” 

...What? 

He sat up, having previously been lying on his back, staring at her incredulously, “Eve, you're going to go to Italy just for this guy that you haven't talked to in a month?” 

“Not just for him!” she blurted quickly, “My...my mother.” 

Nelly cocked a brow, “Your mother?” 

“Remember what I told you? That my mother dropped me off to live with my kooky old grandfather when I was young and-and, well, she still sent money and other things but I finally found out where she is.” 

He gaped, startled, “...She's in Italy?” 

Eve nodded solemnly, “I want to meet her, as crazy as it sounds. I want to know 'why?'. I just...want some answers.” 

Pursing her lips, she glanced at him longingly, “If I were good to myself, Nelly, I wouldn't go. You're right, I need to give up on him. I should give up on this woman I don't even know. But I feel...incomplete without all the answers.” 

Nelly gazed at her and wondered why his heart was breaking. He hadn't given anything to her. Really, he thought he'd guarded himself from any such attachment pretty well. But somehow, the idea that she was going to go away _hurt_. A lot. 

Biting his lip, he gave her a smile. But who was he to discourage her? Certainly not her boyfriend or significant other. Her lover at best, the 'creepy old guy' she turned to for comfort. Who was he? Who was he ever, it seemed. Apparently husband and father of her children wasn't enough for Elli. And now he just meant nothing to someone else. 

Swallowing a lump, his smile wavered just a bit before he rasped, “You do what feels right, Eve. That's the best motto in life, I think and, well, God, that's your mother. If you can find her and still stay in school then I think it's a wonderful idea.” 

Eve bit her rose colored lip, “...That's what you think. But how do you feel?” 

That caught him a little off-guard. Who ever cared how he felt? Leaning back, slumping, on his couch, he shrugged, “I guess kind of like I'm losing someone again.” 

“I don't want that!” she exclaimed, clearly unhappy, “I'd never forgive myself for making you feel like that when all I wanted to do is make you feel better!” 

“Eve” he groaned, suddenly feeling a tad guilty, “We never promised to be each other's anything and I...I've really liked our time together. I may have gotten a little attached to you against my wishes but that only means I want you to be happy. So if Italy's where it's at, then I want you to go. I seem to be always losing people to that damn boot but it's only about what you want.” 

She looked at him sadly before hugging his side, closing her eyes, “I bet I'll regret this. I'll regret probably going back to Dan and I'll probably regret meeting my mother. I'll regret leaving you.” 

“You'll never know” he smiled softly, “Perhaps your man will shape up with you there, your mother will be accepting, and you'll get over me.” 

“Don't be like that” she pouted, kissing under his chin, “You're a wonderful man, Nerimaru. And I don't know what your wife was thinking. If you were mine, I'd never let you go.” 

He blushed and closed his eyes, “You flatter me. I don't know what's wrong with me but I guess I'm the 'nice guy'...sort of.” 

“I never believed in the 'nice guys come in last' thing” Eve remarked, her nose wrinkling, “How about if I come back and find you one day and you're still alone, then...?” 

He smiled faintly, “You'll want things that I can't really give you, Eve. Like kids and, well, just that youthful thing. I'm a little jaded now...” 

Eve scowled, “Well, I don't _have_ to have kids!” 

“No” Nelly agreed, “But I know you want them.” 

Eve just sighed, “Well-l-l-l, you could have another baby, you'd just have to get that little problem reversed.” 

Nelly barked out an incredulous laugh, “Have more kids? No effin' way!” 

“You're a good daddy though!” she protested, “You really care about your kids. I'd be very comfortable having your baby.” 

He smirked but pinked a bit, “Yea, well, we'll see about that. My kids aren't so thrilled about their half-sibling coming up now. Five or ten years down the line might be too much for them too.” 

“I bet it would be strange” she admitted, “Their kids would be almost grown up by then.” 

Nelly nodded slowly but glanced at her, “It's a promise though. Though I doubt you're going to want some old geezer even if the Dan thing falls through. You'll just find yourself a hot Italian model and marry him.” 

“Nah uh!” she pouted, “I am so-o-o-o not that superficial.” 

He snickered and kissed the top of her head, “I know.” 

“Mm, I will miss you” she sighed. 

“Me too...” he remarked wistfully. 

Rubbing her shoulder, feeling that growing emptiness inside him reappear, he smiled hopefully at her, “Hey, my dad and mom have some ritzy affair they want me to attend and I thought you could accompany me?” 

She blinked at him, surprised, “Really? That wouldn't be too uncomfortable?” 

“Nah, my mom wanted to meet you or something” he rolled his eyes around, “And uh, she can be a little intimidating but I mean, I'd be there.” 

Eve giggled, “Ah...” 

“So you want to?” Nelly questioned formally, “I know it'd most likely be awkward for you but I'd really love your company.” 

She nodded, snuggling with him, “Absolutely. What's the worst that could happen?” 

...Oh God, she'd spoken the curse. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Oh my God, Nelly, I will so beat you up! You didn't tell me who your mom is!!” 

Nelly laughed, “Sorry, I always forget. And you definitely were a little dumbfounded there.” 

Eve pouted huffily and he grinned lazily at her, hugging her waist, “Really, I'm sorry! But she finds you delightful.” 

“Delightfully dumb” she grumbled. 

He smirked, “Just plain _delightful_ , lady. Like a fresh bowl of fruit.” 

She laughed, elbowing him, “I don't even know what that means!” 

Nelly chuckled, taking her hand and kissing the back of it, “You look beautiful. I was worried because usually we always took the ladies in the family to Yagada to get their dresses but you look wonderful.” 

“I still would have liked a Yagada” she winked before snickering, smoothing the white crisp strapless empire gown, “Like I could afford it though.” 

Nelly probably would have been smacked if he told her it would have been free so he just smiled. He glanced to his twin who was laughing and chatting with his old college roommate, Tosho Domon and their longtime friend Motosuwa Keiba. They used to come in the younger years to the family dinner nights and holidays but Keiba had moved with his wife back to her native France and Domon ran a corporation somewhere in Taiwan. This really did have to be big though for them to come to it. 

In particular he was staying away from the “political” side of the room where a certain Tomoe family was mingling. 

Looking to his oldest son, he was a little weirded out at how popular he was. Models with their big wig husbands were surrounding him and other photographers. Roomi, for once in her life, seemed a little uncomfortable. But then again, she always seemed uncomfortable around women that were 6'5” and up, being rather short. But hell, he would be too. 

He wasn't really sure what Kyo could be doing in this room but he was also chatting and mingling with people. They seemed to be the single types so maybe anthropologists? Gwen was by his side, chattering equally. Hoshiko was talking with some guy, Julius with her. She seemed to know him so it must have been a colleague from some point in her career. Julius didn't look so pleased about it. 

And well, all his nieces and nephews and their significant others seemed to be fitting into a group. He just felt like the lowly farmer, he thought with a sad smile. It wasn't like it didn't make him happy, doing what he did, it just seemed kind of lonely now. 

Eve hugged his waist suddenly, drawing him from his thoughts, and gestured towards Koji, “Your brother's waving you over.” 

“Oh yea.” 

He wandered over with his arm around Eve's waist and glowered at his brother, “What?” 

“What do you mean 'what'?” Koji snickered, “Stop being antisocial. You remember our friend since _kindergarten_ , Keiba?” 

“Nope. Who are you again?” Nelly blinked lethargically. 

“Wait a second, I haven't been talking to Nelly this whole time?!” Keiba exclaimed, sounding truly confused... 

Eve's brow wrinkled in surprise but Nelly laughed, “Yea because Koji and I totally decided to trade wives and all.” 

Popuri laughed, holding Koji's arm as he smirked, “I'm sure it'd make sense in Keiba's world.” 

“It always does” Keiba agreed. 

“Eve, this is our unequivocally idiot friend, Motosuwa Keiba. Keiba, this is my arm candy for the night” Nelly introduced. 

Eve pinched him, sticking out her tongue, and Keiba looked delighted, “Oh my God, nice to meet you!” 

“Nice to meet you too!” 

Nelly blinked, “Where's your wife, man?” 

“We're separated” he said rather simply. 

Nelly gawked, “Wha-a-a-a? What happened?” 

“Her masseuse” Keiba smirked almost sadly. 

What was _wrong_ with these women? Why Keiba too? Nelly looked at him sympathetically, “I'm sorry, man.” 

“It might be okay” Keiba shrugged, “We're doing counseling and honestly she's working harder at making it work again than I am. At the same time, I just don't know if I'd ever be able to trust her again.” 

Koji crossed his arms, “But you love her, right?” 

“Oh, of course I do!” Keiba laughed quickly, “She's my wife, she's had my kids. But she's been banging some other guy behind my back, it doesn't exactly help completely.” 

“Mm” Nelly agreed. 

“Now you” Keiba frowned, glancing towards the other side of the room, “Holy Jesus, I mean, she's _preggos_. I'd be going out of my mind if that bastard Jean Luc knocked Fay up.” 

Nelly grimaced, “I try not to think about it. Not that it's any of my business. She married the guy, it's got nothing to do with me.” 

“Yea, well, we're still getting your damn crib back” Koji muttered. 

“Crib?” Keiba echoed. 

“I gave her the crib I built for our kids” Nelly rolled his eyes, “I just kind of had a freak-out moment without even really thinking about it.” 

Domon wandered back over for the latter portion of the conversation and looked appalled, “I mean, _God_ , what is that? That's just way too low.” 

“Seriously” concurred Keiba. 

Popuri frowned, sipping her wine, “It seems so odd to me that Elli would do that. Or really, anyone. This guy is her new husband and, as much as we hate it, her new life. So why would she go delving into the old one with something like a crib where her children from her previous life slept? I mean, I couldn't even look at it without remembering that life and, well, you, Nelly. Why would she do that?” 

...What? 

He was pretty much left pondering over that the rest of the night. Leaning against the wall, he frowned as he finished off a glass of Merlot. She was right. Besides what he said about getting a better crib, he just glanced at that crib and saw Elli standing over it, smiling happily down at whatever their current infant had been. He remembered everything and it was all attributed to his wife so why on Earth would she want that with a new man? 

...Unless she didn't think of him. Feeling numbed, he blinked when Eve wandered up to him, holding a tiny plate of fruit and cheese, smiling, “You've been over here lost in thought for an hour, Nerimaru. Whatever is going through your sexy head?” 

He chuckled despite himself, taking her offering and pressing a strawberry to his lips, “Just sweet nothings.” 

She hugged his waist and laughed softly, “I've been talking with Hoshiko, y'know. I can tell she's definitely not going to miss my going away.” 

Nelly almost winced, “I'm sorry. I guess she wasn't that ecstatic about me seeing anyone.” 

“It's fine” she assured with a sigh, “I'm not sure how I'd feel in her situation either but I doubt I'd like it.” 

“But still...” he mumbled, hugging her waist, “What if I'd whisked you off your feet and wanted to marry you and make you my wife and have me some babies? What then?” 

She giggled, “Have you some babies, huh? What happened to 'no effin way'?” 

“The idea appealed to me a little more. I raised two knuckleheads and a girl, I want to fix my track record” he sighed. 

Eve laughed, punching his stomach, “You're so silly! But I don't think Hoshiko would have minded. More than anything I can tell your kids just want you to be as happy as they are. And that's a wonderful thing so I don't think you have a bad track record. You have amazing kids.” 

He smiled softly at her, “Thanks. I guess I can hold off on thems babies until you find yourself and...if you find yourself back with me which I still doubt...” 

She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled at him rather endearingly, “Don't be so humble. You're definitely high on my list. Almost higher than Dan.” 

Nelly snickered, “You know how depressing that is? That I'm not higher than a guy that told you he had a threesome with twin Milanese girls?” 

Eve actually grinned, “Well, if he continues to have those threesomes while I'm around, you'll definitely take his rank and I'll be right back in Japan after the work-study is over.” 

“Awesome” he chuckled softly, resting his forehead against hers, “...I'll be waiting.” 

“I know” she murmured before pressing her lips against his, prodding his apart with her tongue. 

He moaned softly, crossing his arms at the small of her back. He felt content in his life at that moment. Even if she was going away, it could be okay. And even if she didn't return to him, it'd be alright. He really could care about someone intimately again. Not all was lost. 

“Get your hands off my husband!!” 

Nelly nearly swallowed his own tongue. 

Eve wrenched away, quickly turning to the owner of the voice, looking completely speechless. Nelly gaped and glanced to the side... 

...Elli...? 

The whole room had stopped and was almost silent except for a hum of gossiping whispers. He heard a glass shatter somewhere and could only expect it was someone in his family who'd been stunned stiff. Nelly's heart was almost beating out of his chest as he gawped for words. 

Elli, still pregnant, looked sincerely absolutely _irate_. For the briefest of moments, he honestly thought he'd done something wrong, that he'd been caught in some sinful act. 

_WAIT._ Her...her.... 

... _Husband?_

Her _real_ husband was blanched and ironically the looks on his and Nelly's face were probably near identical. He...he still couldn't find a thing to say. 

His stupor shattered when suddenly Eve sobbed and rushed towards the exit, covering her humiliated face. Oh shit. He reached out for her and yelped, “Eve! W-wait!” 

But nope, she floored it out of there though he saw Gwen and Roomi thankfully move to intercept her. Slowly he looked to Elli again and found the woman shivering with... _anger_? _What_? She suddenly stalked off and left everyone staring and whispering around him. 

... _ **WHAT?**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Here man...” 

Yagami Nerimaru looked up from the railing where his face was buried on the balcony, finding his twin standing beside him holding... 

Nelly almost hungrily snatched the cigarette from his hand, saying emphatically, “ _Thank you_.” 

His hands shivered as he forced the stick into his mouth, all his previous preoccupations with never smoking again flying out the window as he clumsily tried to light up. Taking a sharp inhale, he laughed humorlessly, loudly, “What-what the _f—k_ just happened?” 

“I think your ex-wife must have had a very serious moment” Koji shook his head, looking rather stunned, “I mean, damn, and she said it like she meant it too, like you guys are actually still... _married_.” 

“It's _insane_!” Nelly snapped, “ _Insanity_. Who the hell stalks up to their ex-husband and screams for all of Japan to hear 'get away from my husband' in such a damn serious tone?! And my God, Eve! That-that poor girl, my God...” 

Nelly clenched at his bangs and whimpered, a migraine growing behind his temples. Koji rubbed his shoulder, “Calm down. The girls comforted Eve, she's fine. Tomoe is in there trying to clean up whatever just happened.” 

“I'm sure this sucked for him too” Nelly muttered, “But I guess he can blame it on the pregnant hormones.” 

“Unless pregnant makes you forget, I don't know how well that's going to fly” Koji remarked sarcastically, leaning backwards against the railing, “...Nelly.” 

He didn't even have to hear the rest to know he wouldn't like it. “...What...?” 

“I...think Elli still loves you.” 

“Oh for God's sake, man--” Nelly almost flew off the handle. 

“Stay away from my husband?” Koji quoted loosely, “Coming to get a crib that you two raised your kids in? Getting angry about you having a new woman? Stay away from _my_ _husband_?” 

Nelly tapped his foot, “Maybe she's got possessive issues.” 

“Yea, okay” snorted Koji, “Crazy possessive issues where she'd embarrass herself in front of a room packed with people. Definitely.” 

“Yea, well, last I checked, you don't cheat then leave the person you love for someone else” Nelly snarled, “It's stupid, Koji, a stupid, stupid idea!” 

“ _WHO is that, Nelly?”_

_..._ What? What the hell was he--? 

“ _No one...just...a friend.”_

“ _A friend? A friend that's in o-- in your room, half-naked?”_

...Ow? 

... _Our_? 

The blood in his face drained before he swallowed. The...that couldn't be right. Not one bit, not at all. It was a mistake...she... 

She _left_ him. If she loved him, then why? Why did she leave him? If she didn't, why didn't she let him be and allow him to be happy with someone else? What...what was _wrong_ with her? 

He wiped his mouth and almost started to cry but Koji punched him in the shoulder hard, looking extremely angry, “Stop it. You don't deserve any of this damn bullshit she's putting you through and I'll go punch her lights out if you cry so don't you dare.” 

Nelly sputtered, choking, and clasped his hands over his ears, “I-I need to go home. Take me home, Koji.” 

Koji took a deep breath and grabbed his arm, “...C'mon.” 

It had only took that second for her to ruin everything. Like that second when her secret came out and she left him. Or that second when she signed the papers saying they were no longer anything to each other anymore. 

And now that second where she made him realize that like Keiba said, loving someone didn't make you trust them after that trust had been broken, even if by another... 

And he was empty again. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“What have I become...?” 

“ _Thank you for driving me to the airport, Nelly...”_

_He gazed ahead as he put his car into 'park' and cleared his throat, “It's...the least I can do. I'm still really, really sorry about what happened.”_

“ _It wasn't your fault. It probably was a little inappropriate for me to kiss you like that” Eve bit her lip, stroking back a strand of blonde hair._

_Nelly closed his eyes and shook his head. Eve gnawed her lip, leaning towards him, “Nelly...”_

“ _Eve...Dan...should rank higher than me” he whispered, relaxing his forehead against the steering wheel, “He might be an ass in the way of your feelings but at least he has feelings to offer you.”_

_She gaped a little and he shook his head, “I...I don't...think I can wait for you, Eve, or...or for anyone again.”_

_The young woman was silent before leaning over and grasping his hands. He stared at her absently and she kissed his knuckles gingerly, “But is that what you want, Nelly?”_

_Nelly stared at her, just another something that was untouchable, and he said softly, “It's what I feel, Eve...and I feel that...if you're to be happy, you need to forget I even exist.”_

_Her red eyes filled with tears and she jerked away, clearly unhappy, “So I guess then I...was really just a 'booty call'? Nothing more, nothing less.”_

“ _Don't be silly” he mumbled, exasperated, “I thought we decided that this was 'no strings attached' anyway.”_

_Eve looked at him miserably, “...We did but I couldn't help but feel I had become more to you...I see I was wrong.”_

_Nelly frowned as she opened the door and quickly climbed out himself, following after her as she quickly fled, “I'm not that kind of man, Eve. You may not believe me but it's the truth and I did come to care about you.”_

_She paused, her suitcase in hand, as her shoulders squared, “But you want me to forget you ever existed?”_

_Wandering towards her and coming to face her, he gently took her cheeks in his hands, “I...have been conflicted. And corrupted. And ruined. All the things I don't want some one like you to become. Like me.”_

_His voice began to tremble and he rested his forehead against hers, laughing bitterly, “I'm pathetic because I don't recall anyone being this jacked up from just divorcing but I can't even...even move on properly even though I want to...I'm...sorry.”_

_Eve wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging his head tightly, kissing his ear, “Shh. You will move on and you will find what you want. You're not pathetic, just...hurt.”_

_He drew in a breath as she pulled away and he smiled at her weakly, “It hasn't been long but I will miss you.”_

“ _Me too” she smiled, wiping her eyes of tears, “...Me too.”_

_Licking his lips, fighting off screaming with frustration, he stroked a loose strand of hair from her face, “Tell him he better be good to you.”_

_Eve laughed sadly, “I'll try. Sure you can't be my...backup plan?”_

_He chuckled monotonously, “You'd be able to do better than either of us, Eve...a lot better.”_

_She didn't seem sure but he knew he was about the true definition of 'lost'._

_No, not 'lost' as in lost in a forest, lost in thought, lost in society. But he was lost. He had no answers, no idea why his wife left him but had apparently such strong feelings towards him. But at the same time, how the hell could he trust her after that? How the hell was he supposed to trust anyone if someone he truly..._

_He still loved Elli too, like a pitiful dumbass sap. Koji, damn him, was right. He still loved that bitch of a woman and there was nothing he could do about it. He had no answers._

_How could he trust anyone else after he truly loved Elli? Or move on. Or have kids. It was all...it was all over. What had he become?_

_Lost._

Nelly leaned backwards against the wall of his home in the dark, not having turned on a single light though he'd been home for at least twelve hours now. It felt like every cliché in the book but the darkness appealed to him suddenly. 

His kids came by but he just stared at the door and ignored them. He wanted to be alone. Did anyone ever understand that? 

He hissed when there was yet another knock. Yet another someone he didn't want to care about. After a moment, a frown crossed his face and he grimaced. What the hell, Nelly...? When did your family become your enemies? 

What had he become? 

Whoever this was wasn't giving up in the least and had to have stood there for twenty minutes. Nelly knew what that meant but wasn't sure he wanted any comfort. 

...Course, he'd stand there like a stubborn idiot for all eternity. Damn him. Nelly snarled as he clambered to his feet and swung the door open, finding he wanted to take a swing at him. 

“I told Popuri” Koji muttered wearily, wandering past Nelly almost obliviously. 

Nelly paused and glanced at his twin, surprised, “...Don't you think that's a little weird to do after all this time? That _definitely_ seems like you had something to hide.” 

“Well,” Koji laughed irritably, “It was either that or just continue to feel sick. I didn't think it was possible, Nelly, but I can literally worry myself sick. Consistently I prove wive's tales!” 

Nelly grimaced, “What'd she think...?” 

“She's pissed as _f—k_ ” Koji groaned, burying his face in his hands, “Said that it wouldn't have been a big deal if I hadn't fought so hard to keep it from her. I tried to tell her I just didn't want her to get the wrong idea and of course she's like, 'well apparently I should!' and stormed off to her mother's house.” 

Nelly slammed down on the couch beside Koji and felt wasted. He guessed hearing about other people's problems made him feel like the universe didn't solely hate him. Drained, tired, he dropped his cheek against Koji's shoulder. 

Koji cocked a brow at him but didn't move or flinch, “...Are you...okay there?” 

“She's gone” Nelly said, exhausted, “She's gone and I don't think she's going to come back. I told her not to come back. I've...I'm going to be alone forever now, Koji, I don't have it in me to try again.” 

Koji stared at him evenly and suddenly kissed his forehead, “Shut it, baka. You're scared to try again and even if you have a good reason, you can't let it consume you. Love is...love is only something you need to be open to otherwise neither of us would have gotten married or anything.” 

“I...I loved Elli” he whispered, “She destroyed my-my ability to trust, my _everything_.” 

“Damn it, Nerimaru, don't be so cold” Koji actually said rather sadly. 

He guess he wasn't completely cold and hardened because he found himself almost crying at that. He wanted his life to be over. An eternity with this was too long, too hard, too impossible. He'd end up going insane and he didn't want this. Choking a little on a dry heave, he pressed his face into Koji's shoulder, “You know, if you loved me, even a tiny bit, you'd put me out of my misery.” 

“Yea, well, I guess I don't love you then” Koji remarked rather dryly. 

“Ass” Nelly muttered brokenly. 

Koji rubbed his shoulder, preoccupied, “You know, for as horrid as life may seem right now, Nelly, I bet you'll wake up tomorrow and it'll be an amazing day. And you'll hate that. You'll hate it because it means your right now seemingly meaningless life has meaning. And you'll question despising yourself and you'll wonder if everything's as hopeless as it seems. That's the problem with today: it's hard to imagine a tomorrow when it's gone as badly as it has this day.” 

Nelly was silent and closed his eyes, “Remember what dad told us? You know, about when we were first born?” 

Koji cocked a brow at him, “How you were flipping out and cried for two days straight because I had to be in isolation and was dying? And you didn't stop crying until they put you in the shell with me?” 

“Yea. I'm...needy.” 

“Always” snickered Koji, suddenly putting him in a headlock, “But all these chicks could come and go, man, you'll always have me.” 

“That's really not as comforting as I'd like it to be...” Nelly chuckled, “And don't worry, your wife will come back to you. _I_ should have gotten Popuri.” 

“Over my dead damn body!” 

Nelly laughed and closed his eyes. Amazing? Tomorrow? 

...Maybe. 

He woke up, horrifyingly snuggling with his twin, rather remnant of the first time he'd met his brother's wife, before she'd gained that title, when they'd taken a picture of them and played a nice game of keep away with the memory card which somehow ended up in Popuri's rather bountiful bosom. So yea, start of an amazing day there, curled around his brother. Ugh. 

Koji ended up staying over most of the day though, attempting to help with farm work but getting utterly distracted. He could tell that farm work was his thing because Koji may have just been a little too ADD. He was throwing rocks into his fish pond. 

“Bastard, stop that before you kill my damn fish” Nelly snapped, throwing a weed at him. 

“Oh, rocks never killed anything except Goliath...” Koji said, sounding like he was bored senseless. 

Nelly smirked, “Go freakin' home.” 

“My princess won't be there” he pouted, leaning over and now attempting to catch a fish, “I mean, these bastards are _huge._ Are they on steroids?” 

“I feed them well. And don't you think you should advance your lovely wife's status to 'queen' or something by this point? I mean, I thought Kaede was your princess.” 

“You don't even understand the statuses” Koji snorted, “You never called your kids anything.” 

Nelly snorted haughtily, “I beg your pardon? Idiot one, idiot two, and the girl is the only way to go.” 

Koji snickered, “'The girl'. God forbid you had more than one.” 

“It would have shattered my world.” 

Koji laughed and blinked when suddenly, Nelly's gang of grandchildren ran in, “Oh God.” 

Nelly couldn't help but feel the same as Kairi almost immediately went to rob his garden, “Oi kid, those need to be cleaned first!” 

Kairi looked up at him with his large purple eyes, “Gwanpa! Daddy say go to house and they be right back for emergency!” 

Nelly stared at him, “...Kay?” 

Usually Kairi was actually a lot more understandable than that so he only assumed his son hadn't carefully explained whatever to him so the child was left to put together awkward sentences. He looked to the older Kamon who was attached to his sister Fujiwako who really was the only person Kaori feared for whatever reason. “Kam, what's up?” 

“Oh, dad, mom, Aunt Hoshiko, Uncle Julius, Aunt Gwen, _and_ Uncle Kyo had some work emergencies so they sent us over here until they could come get us” the boy explained easily. 

So yea, amazing day. He had all six of his grandchildren here while he was working. Great. 

Akira and Kairi were screaming their lungs out as they ran around a tree, chasing each other in some game only they comprehended, giggling delighted when one caught the other. Fujiwako was off riding her horse while Kamon and Miyako apparently had been goaded by his and her great uncle to help catch his freakin' fish. Miyako squealed loudly when Koji showed her one of the pretty koi he had and let her touch it. Nelly groaned and just gave up on harvesting. 

He grunted when Kairi and Akira attacked him at the knees, hugging him like their lives depended on it. “Oi! You two get off!” 

They were beside themselves with joy when he tried to shake them off, thinking it was a game. He yelped when Kamon attacked his side and was shocked when Kaori attacked his other. He ended up falling over, his equilibrium shot, and groaned when Miyako scurried over and sat on his upper chest and kissed his cheek cutely. 

“You know...I never expected _any_ of you to exist” he grumbled. 

Miyako giggled and hugged his neck, “I love gwandpa!” 

Koji grinned, gnawing on a piece of straw as he lied on his belly out in the grass nearby, “You know you love them.” 

“I'd say 'like' at best” Nelly grouched though smiled as they all played around him. 

He sighed as Miyako, Fujiwako, and Kaori put flowers in his hair, wondering what the hell happened for the millionth time that led him to be surrounded by his grandbabies. Koji suddenly groaned, rolling onto his back. 

“I miss by babies. I have none left.” 

“Yea you do. You just don't have direct access yet” Nelly pointed out. 

Koji grunted and Miyako suddenly giggled and rushed to pretty up his hair with flowers too. Koji smiled at her, “You know, a little girl just like you did this to me once too.” 

“Was she pretty?” Miyako questioned. 

“Beautiful” Koji murmured, reaching for a few flowers nearby. 

Miyako's cheeks puffed, “I still like pretty more!” 

Koji laughed, “Sorry.” 

Nelly smiled some and closed his eyes as a breeze rolled through the field... “I think I'm still depressed.” 

“Then there's a lot more wrong with you than I thought” Koji said with a sigh, “You know how many people would kill to be just lying around, watching their grandkids frollick and all that? Can you really feel so empty with all this?” 

“No, but--” 

Koji smiled as he placed a flower veil around Miyako's head. She giggled and pinked cutely, running off to show it to one of her cousins, “You'll always feel betrayed, brother. It's just that kind of situation...but I know you. You probably felt no reason to go on and I have to tell you that maybe you don't have Elli, maybe you don't have Eve...but you have a wonderful life.” 

Nelly frowned at him for a moment before gazing up at the clouds. Was that true? 

He ended up without Koji spending the night, Popuri coming over to reconcile with him as the two always did. Nelly had thought bitterly that his brother had no right to tell him his life was so wonderful when his life was always so damn perfect. 

But how could he say that? His brother had been through hell and back too. Just like all his siblings had. Really, some of his nieces and nephews had had experiences in life that would have killed him. How...how could he be so down for the count now? 

Staring at his grandkids, all snuggled in his bed for a nap, Kaori even tolerating Kamon's presence, he couldn't help feel a tug at his heart. Did he not love them? Did he not love his kids? That'd be ridiculous... 

He was scared. He was scared to let Eve or someone else in because if he got hurt again, he'd break. What did Elli want from him, he didn't know...she seemed to want him to stay alone while she moved on, from what he could understand. He... 

Hadn't known her at all. 

Tears welled in his eyes as he rested his head beside Kairi's, clearing his throat quietly. Get a grip, Nelly. Come to realize that whatever Elli's issues were, they were her own. You weren't tainted, corrupted. You allowed her to make you believe you were those things. You allowed her to make you think that if you love again, it'd be followed by disappointment. You let her make you something you hate. 

Another hour passed and he wondered if his children had abandoned their kids and run off to another land or something because it was like 8 p.m. by this point. Grumbling as he cooked for his hungry grandkids, he glanced down at his feet and smirked, not all that startled to find Kairi there, staring up at him expectantly. “Hold your horses, little man, I know you're probably starving.” 

He gave him a cheese stick which seemed to actually fascinate him before he allowed it to satisfy his hunger. That sort of surprised Nelly, that was Kyo's favorite ever snack food and Kairi had never had one? A knock at his door made him sigh. Thank goodness. He'd never had six children for a _reason_. 

“Fuji, can you let your parents in?” he called, pouring the remaining vegetables in the pan. 

“Yes, grandpa!” 

He wiped his hands on a napkin and sighed, wandering out with a sullen glare. Yep, all there so he could kill them. Then again, he'd be stuck with six kids if he did that. 

Roomi turned and clasped her hands, “Oh Nelly-papa, we're so sorry! It was like Doomsday in every one of our jobs.” 

“I almost beat up a student” Kyo confessed, nodding simply. 

Nelly cocked a brow and Gwen rolled her eyes, “I apologize too. I didn't expect this court hearing to take so long. Definitely a hardcore internship.” 

Jyun was still actually on the phone, saying something loudly and firmly into his Bluetooth as he pressed buttons on his Blackberry full-touch screen and was looking at projected charts. That was his baby once, Nelly suddenly, randomly and disturbingly thought. Roomi scowled at him for a second before sighing, kissing her children, and wandering towards the kitchen, “You relax, Nelly-papa, I'll take over.” 

“No, that's f--” 

“Daddy!” Hoshiko suddenly blurted, grabbing his arm and dragging him to the couch. 

His eyes widened, “Uh, yea, baby?” 

“I'm sorry I wasn't supportive of you” she whimpered, “I've felt bad for days and I-I hate saying sorry but I was so horrible!” 

Nelly grimaced as she buried her face into his chest. “It's okay, honey...” 

“It is not! And-and I can't believe mother. How dare she?” 

Kyo snorted hotly, slamming down on the recliner, “Oh, she dared.” 

Jyun finally had calmed whatever situation he had down and took a deep breath, collapsing next to Hoshiko and him, relaxing his hand over his eyes, “Can I say that I really didn't know _what_ to make of that? Like, if she'd said it even a tad bit snidely, I'd be pissed as hell. But...” 

Julius sat on the other end, shaking his head, “She said it with a lot of conviction...” 

“But it was still like 'how dare you have a relationship again when I'm pregnant and remarried?!'” Hoshiko snarled, before looking sad, “And I guess I hadn't really wanted you to either.” 

“It's fine, baby, I promise” Nelly assured, kissing her forehead, “It's probably the safest thing for me to do.” 

He didn't miss Kyo or Jyun's quickly exchanged glance and Hoshiko blanched, “Papa! You can't be serious, you can't let her win!” 

Nelly looked away, “It's not about winning. I'm just not going to be able to provide someone with that kind of relationship again. Or myself.” 

“Don't be silly, dad” Jyun grunted, “You were great with Eve and the only reason you're questioning yourself now is because mom went off the deep-end.” 

“Yea, you're our dad, dude. If you're capable of loving us then you can definitely love a hot chick” Kyo said haughtily. 

Jyun and Gwen snickered as Nelly cocked a brow, smirking, “Yea, about that...” 

“Hey!” 

Miyako, who had been following Roomi, walked in and climbed onto Julius' knee, “Hi, daddy!”   
  


“Hello, Button Puffin!” he rasped excitedly, picking her up and kissing her cheeks. 

She giggled and Hoshiko smiled at her, “Hey baby. Where'd you get that?” 

Miyako touched her crown of flowers and paused for a moment as if she had to recall who made it before deliberating and said simply: “Grandpa two.” 

Julius and Hoshiko's brow furrowed as Kyo and Jyun looked puzzled, saying in unison, “Grandpa two?” 

Nelly was a tad confused about this too. Koji wasn't her... 

He had to laugh, his kids glancing at him, now completely bewildered, “Oh Button, you're so cute. That's just “Uncle Koji”, honey.” 

“Uncle Koji” Miyako grinned, now certain. 

“Grandpa two?” demanded Hoshiko. 

Nelly grinned, “I guess she didn't really know what's going on with that, us being twins.” 

“Whaaa?” Kyo echoed, turning to the kitchen, “Oi, Kairi!” 

Kairi skipped in, eating another cheese stick, “Hi daddy.” 

“Oh my God! Daddy wants that!” Kyo proclaimed, trying to grab it from him. 

Kairi pursed his lips and pulled away, “No!” 

Gwen rolled her eyes and Kyo looked almost indignant before standing and picking up a picture of Koji and Nelly that was sitting on the mantle, returning and showing it to Kairi, “Kairi, who is this?” 

“Gwandpa” Kairi said, blinking. 

“And this?” 

Kairi, much like Miyako, took a moment to deliberate this and actually started to gnaw his lip before saying slowly, “Nice man that look like gwandpa?” 

Kyo looked shocked and Nelly laughed again, “I guess the idea of twins is a little weird to kids, guys. I remember now you guys were a little confused about it too.” 

Kyo stroked his chin, “Now that you mention it, I do recall calling Uncle Koji 'dad' a lot as a toddler...” 

Jyun and Hoshiko smirked, “You would.” 

When they sat at the table for dinner, Nelly felt better. And as Koji said, he hated that. It just made his feelings before seem frivolous. How could one day he feel like there was no reason to live then the next, he was...happy? 

Of course, his kids left, his grandkids left, and he was left there alone in that house but he pretty much passed out and didn't have much time to think about it. And he felt...content. He dreamed about Elli that night, when she left him that day, and how absolutely disillusioned and empty he felt. 

And alone. 

It would never be the same. His twin wasn't his wife, his kids weren't his wife, his grandkids weren't his wife. But he knew then that he'd never truly be alone. And that he truly wasn't that kind of person he described to Eve, the one that was tainted and could never trust again. He'd find that someone. Briefly opening his eyes, he stared out at the stars and felt his eyes burn when his eyes moved to trace where she'd be lying right now in his arms or beside him. 

...He wasn't sure if the emptiness went away though. Only tomorrow could tell. 


	27. Lesson Twenty-Five

“Oh, he's _so_ hot...”

“I can't believe he's a teacher!” 

Yagami Kyo sat at the head of the amphitheater like classroom and took a deep breath. This never got easier. 

Over the last few years he'd been teaching, he'd had intense ups and downs but he loved it. Soon he wanted to possibly convince Gwen on letting him go on a brief work-study when he got this year under his belt. At present he wasn't in a hurry to go anywhere. Kyo loved his students, loved teaching and talking about what made this whole anthropology deal so great. He loved that, well, aside from grading mass amounts of tests, he had time for his wife and son. 

He grinned sleepily. And his next baby. 

“ _Kyo...don't go crazy, okay?”_

_Kyo had been sitting in bed, reading a textbook, deciding if it was even worth having his class read, when he glanced at his wife who was lying beside him, stroking his knee. “What's up, sweetie?”_

_Yagami Gwen, lying on her side, looked nervous as she bit her lip, “I want a baby.”_

_..._

“ _...WHAT?”_

_She flustered and quickly turned away, “SEE! I told you not to freak!”_

“ _I'm not freaking, I'm just flabbergasted!”_

_Gwen leered at him and he set his book down, grunting, “I mean, at least tell me to stop reading if it's something **that** important, woman. Now what's the change of heart for? You remember telling me that Kairi is our one and only child?” _

“ _Of course” she said quickly, “And I meant it for the most part! At least, I did then...”_

_Sitting up, she hugged her knees and looked at him nervously, “I don't know if it's my biological clock...”_

“ _You're way too young for that.”_

_She leered, “Fine! I just want one more, okay? I mean, I love Kairi so much and...and I just kind of want another little one, just...one more?”_

_A little intrigued by this huge turn of events, he blinked, “We're busy as hell, Gwen. I mean, you know I'd give you a baby in a heart beat but it's still going to have to be practical.”_

“ _Oh, of course!” she agreed again at haste, “We have to do what's right for us, Kairi, and, of course, it.”_

_Kyo nodded and shrugged, “I can take on fewer classes, I suppose. I know the school wouldn't be pleased about it but maybe I could ask for more administrative stuff I can do at home to balance it out.”_

“ _And of course I'd take on less cases! More that I can handle here rather than on the field” she added._

“ _Naturally it works in theory” Kyo stroked his chin, cocking a brow, “I mean...what can go wrong? Kairi's older now, we both agree to let our work be cut a little. The baby would be fine.”_

“ _Once there is a baby” Gwen amended._

_Kyo grinned, completely throwing the book off the bed and grabbed the edge of the quilt as he tugged it over their heads, “Now really, Gwenzy, that's the easy part.”_

It was the best couple weeks of his life while they were trying to conceive. Sex was never a question, it was always an answer, and oh, the answer was definitely 'yes'. Gwen was quite fertile too so that's all it took. 

Yawning, he stroked his head as he felt a migraine. So yea, his wife was now three months pregnant, Kairi was four going on twenty, and he was a teacher. Life was grand. 

Except these headaches. 

He grimaced and shook his head, standing once the allotted time came to start class, “Hello all, I'm Yagami Kyo and I'll be your professor for the semester.” 

Life was beautiful. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Yagami Kairi sat next to his cousin, Shimizu Akira, as the two watched some descendant of Super Sentai with their grandfather and great uncle. Nelly munched on an apple, chewing before cocking a brow. “Remember the old-school version, Koji?” 

He snickered, “Which one? There's been like five hundred of them.” 

Gwen waddled in, her belly already rather large, cleaning a tomato as she shook her head, “Its so weird seeing this. I watched the syndicated 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' when I was younger and then I see 'Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger' here and the story's completely different. And the yellow ranger is a guy!” 

“Mm” Koji blinked, chewing a strawberry, “I remember seeing that when I was in college in America. The pink ranger was hot.” 

“You always did have a thing for pink” Nelly remarked. 

Koji elbowed him and Gwen laughed, kissing Kairi's cheek, “Do you want a snack, baby?” 

Kairi shook his head, blinking up at her, “I'm fine, thank you, mama.” 

“How about you, Akira?” 

“No thank you, Aunt Gwen.” 

Nelly shook his head, eating a piece of apple, “I don't know where they got that good behavior and manner thing from.” 

“Obviously their mothers” Koji snorted. 

“Oh yea...”  
  


Gwen grinned at them, “I can only imagine if I just let Kyo raise him...” 

“The devil, that's what he would have created.” 

“Thanks, dad.” 

Nelly looked up, surprised, as Kyo wandered in, looking completely exhausted and pretty much sounded it too. He slung off his messenger bag and rubbed his forehead, breathing heavily. Gwen frowned and started to waddle over to him but Kyo held up a hand. “I'm not feeling so hot, baby and I don't want you to get sick. I'm probably going to sleep in the guest room.” 

“Oh...alright” Gwen frowned as he sat on the recliner, covering his face, “Let me go get you something to eat, okay?” 

Kyo nodded slowly and glanced at his dad, “Why are you guys hanging out here?” 

“I'm watching Akira for your sister while they're taking Kaori to check out that boarding school” Nelly informed, “And he wanted to hang out with Kairi, so...” 

Kyo nodded again and allowed his head to fall over the back of the chair, closing his eyes. Nelly cocked a brow, “Are you okay?” 

“I have a horrible headache” Kyo mumbled, squeezing his temple to alleviate the stress, “Horrible, horrible headache. I've been popping pain relievers all day and it hasn't worked at all.” 

“I'd have a horrible headache too, dealing with hundreds of college students day in and day out” Koji snorted, glancing at his phone. 

“I do have a couple pricks” Kyo snickered. 

Nelly smirked and glanced at his phone when it started to ring, picking up, “Hmm? Oh, you're back? All right, we'll be there in a few.” 

Clicking off, he sighed, “All right, buddy, your mom and dad are back. Let's roll.” 

Akira looked dismayed, “Is Kaori gone?” 

Nelly grimaced and petted Akira's hair, “No. C'mon.” 

Kyo frowned at his nephew, “Hey, I'll call Hoshi and see if he can stay the night.” 

“I think it's best if he goes home. His mother seems kind of bothered...” Nelly sighed, patting his pockets for his keys. 

Kyo nodded slowly and stood, despite his body's protests, to walk them out, Kairi telling Akira that everything would be fine. It was bizarre in terms of the Yagami family or any of it's limbs but Shimizu Kaori was, for lack of a better word, crazy. 

Hoshiko and Julius followed their grandfather's advice from those years ago and took her to see a counselor. The doctor diagnosed her with numerous psychological issues, citing that the girl was potentially bipolar and possibly schizophrenic and they really had no idea what to make of that. It wasn't really in their genes but Julius said glumly it might have been in his. Yamada assured him that it wasn't merely a genetic thing. However, Roomi had seemed unsure. 

“I don't think I was quite off the wall bad, but I did have just crazed tantrums and whatnot. And I did kind of not like the idea of authority figures.” 

“Our... 'father' seems the same way” Julius snorted. 

Roomi grimaced and agreed as Yamada seemed to ponder that, “I don't know. I don't really know much about psychology.” 

Either way, as any parent would, they were a little turned off by overdosing her on hundreds of meds so they asked the doctor to create the most drug efficient combination they could. And it worked great. She got along with Akira and Kamon and everyone and she was that delightful little girl they remembered. 

Until she got sick of taking it. 

Kyo could understand that to a degree. Who wanted to continue taking a medicine that controlled, well, who you were? At the same time, what if who you were made you pretty much someone that was unlivable with? But yea, she stopped taking them and who she had been previously had been utterly delightful in comparison to what she'd become. 

It had caused a blast from the past of anger between Jyun and Hoshiko when Jyun actually put his foot down and pretty much forbid Kaori from coming anywhere near Kamon. Of course, as Kaori was a pure anarchist and probably didn't give a damn what Jyun said, Jyun pretty much didn't go anywhere near her with his family. Hoshiko snapped that that was too extreme. Jyun had countered that it wasn't too extreme. He was tired of his son getting railed out for existing and if Kaori wasn't going to be taking anything anymore, then that was it, he was not involved, nor was his child. Hoshiko, naturally, was not pleased and thought everyone was 'overreacting' about her child. 

Of course, until she punched Akira in the face and sent the boy flying down a flight of stairs. 

Kyo had just gotten out of a class when he got a phone call from Kairi, absolutely hysterical, about just 'so much blood'. Kyo nearly went insane. What blood!? Was he bleeding?! He nearly had a heart attack. When he got to the hospital after speaking to Jyun, he found his poor baby disturbed and proclaiming in horror that Akira was dead. It took a mother's touch to calm the poor thing down and Kyo was a little angry about it. Thanks, but he didn't want his son to be traumatized because they couldn't control their child. 

Yea-a-a-a, it got really ugly. 

Hoshiko was a mama about it. She just pleaded that they try to put her back on the medicines. But Kaori absolutely refused and the doctors even had to sedate her when she threw a total uncontrollable temper when they tried to persuade her to do so. Julius had been the one to say he'd had enough. He said they were either going to put her in a disciplinary boarding school or he didn't know, but he wasn't putting up with it anymore. Hoshiko had wept and cried and demanded why she'd do that to their child? Julius, exasperated, told her of course he loved his baby but this was for both her good _and_ theirs. They couldn't go on like this and showed her the scar going down the side of Akira's face. 'This was only the start' Julius said numbly. Hoshiko caved. 

Of course, just because she caved didn't mean she wasn't going to be difficult. They'd visited well over a dozen institutions and Hoshiko always found a problem with them. 'They smell', 'it wasn't clean', 'the food isn't diverse enough', 'the bed's not soft enough'...Kyo could understand the first few but the latter? It wasn't an effin' spa. 

He hoped they figured it out soon. It had to have been adversely affecting Button and, of course, Akira. 

Waving after them from the door, Kyo groaned and rubbed his brow, slamming down on the sofa again and eating the plate his wife had left him. Chewing slowly, he barely finished it and shook his head, the throbbing slowly but surely increasing. Kairi went to bed and Gwen frowned, rubbing her belly outside the door of the guest room as Kyo prepared to do the same. 

“Are you sure, honey?” 

“Of course” he snorted, “You know how angry and guilty I'd feel if I got you sick and something happened to you or our baby? Just go rest, 'kay? I'll be fine tomorrow, I'm sure. You need to take it easy.” 

“Fine” she mumbled before suddenly scurrying in and covering his mouth, kissing his forehead, “Good night.” 

“Good night” he sighed, rolling his eyes but smiling, “And wash those hands!” 

Sinking into bed, utterly exhausted, he closed his eyes after setting the alarm on his phone. The start of a new year. Let it be great. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _Hey Kyo...”_

_Kyo glanced at Matt as he half-heartedly attempted to finish a bowl of soup...not...hungry? Impossible._

“ _Hey Matt. What's up?” he smiled, giving up._

_Matt sat across from him and frowned, “Some of your past students seem a little worried about you, man. They say you seem kind of languid and tired and less...spirited?”_

_Kyo groaned, dropping his spoon, “I'm sorry I'm not really excited about being here, God damn!”_

_His long-time friend looked startled at his outburst and Kyo grimaced, burying his face in his hands, “I'm...I'm sorry, I'm...I'm not myself. I'm...I'm really tired. I'll get my act together soon.”_

_Matt tilted his head thoughtfully, “You seem kind of pale, man. I'll cover your classes. You go see a doctor.”_

_Kyo snorted, rubbing his forehead, “I just have a lot of stuff going on in my life, man, it's nothing to do with my health.”_

_Matt tilted back and stared at him, “...Dude, when's the last time you've been to a doctor?”_

“ _...I don't know. Does it matter?” Kyo said slowly._

“ _Just say it's a hunch.”_

_Kyo rolled his eyes and grimaced as the action hurt every inch of his skull, “I haven't been since I came back that first time from South America.”_

“ _So basically you haven't seen a doctor in any capacity in over five years?”_

_Kyo sighed, “YES.”_

“ _Do you REALLY think that's a good idea? I was freaking out sneezing around my pregnant wife, you're having migraines and mood swings and whatever else and you haven't seen a doctor in forever!”_

_Kyo opened his mouth to counter that but faltered, rubbing the back of his neck, “I-I suppose that's true...”_

_Matt smiled at him, “It's always scary going to a doctor, man, but it's better to know if something's wrong.”_

_Kyo nodded and figured that was true. He was getting a little tired of not snuggling with his lady and his baby. Sending a look towards Matt though, he grumbled, “You SO can't tell Gwen I'm going to the doctor though. She can have NO idea or she will freak. No cats out of the bag, got it?”_

_Matt frowned and nodded, “Gotcha...”_

He was like Jyun suddenly. He hated going to the doctor. 

Sitting on the paper, he was thankful that he could put his clothes back on now, at least. He'd went for the full deal, getting every inch of his body, awkwardly as hell, checked out. Now he had an even more massive headache included with the need to go curl in a corner and cry from being violated. But whatever, he was doing it for his wife, baby, and Kairi. No big. 

His doctor wandered in with a nurse a few moments later and he felt anxious. He really just wanted to be out of there, on whatever medicines they'd prescribe, and cuddling with his wife. 

But the Dr. Evil, as Kyo knew him for his pretty pessimistic view on everything, had his arms crossed and the nurse looked nervous. “Yagami-san.” 

“Hi. Is something the matter?” 

She flipped back a chart and cleared her throat, “You said you've had headaches for a long time that just recently became migraines?” 

“Yes. I started having them often when I came back from South America” Kyo frowned, shaking his head. 

The woman frowned, “And you were forced to leave South America because of a virus...?” 

“Yes. What's this about?” 

“You have a glioblastoma multiforme, Yagami-san” the doctor finally said curtly. 

The nurse glared back at him incredulously and Kyo stared at him blankly before stating plainly: “I have a brain tumor?” 

The man looked rather startled and the nurse did as well. Kyo felt heat raise in his body along with the alarm at this cool declaration, “My mom was a nurse. I'm not an idiot.” 

“Of course” the nurse blurted, putting up some slides, “We're just...surprised. You had quite a clean health record before.” 

Kyo frowned but nodded slowly in agreement, his heart beating erratically, “O-of course. But...but what caused it...?” 

“It's a really confusing case, Yagami-san. We'd have to get in there to look but it seems as if previously you hurt yourself. Did you suffer some head injury?” 

“No, I....” 

...Wait, that construction accident? What? “...I... _years_ ago, I was in a construction accident. A huge piece of steel or sheet rock or something fell on my head...” 

The nurse flipped through his records, “And you suffered temporary memory loss...” 

“Th-that can't cause a tumor though!” he blurted. 

“Not exactly” the doctor inserted, using a laser pen to circle around what was apparently a picture of Kyo's brain, “From what we can tell, there may have been some bit of a gap somewhere and that you may have contracted this virus at some point.” 

She sighed, “And...it seems that the virus caused some kind of reaction that led to this.” 

Kyo swallowed the lump in his throat and rasped, “O-okay, so we found it, right? Now all that we have to do is cut it out, right?” 

“Oh, the tumor we can remove now without even having to cut or do surgery!” the nurse waved her hands, “We have oral treatments for it now.” 

“That's great” he smiled, relieved. 

The doctor closed the projection of his brain, “Not so much.” 

“...What?” 

The nurse bit her lip and seemed a tad irked by the doctor's attitude, “Yagami-san, the tumor seems to have caused...” 

“...What?” 

“Cancer” she took a deep breath. 

...Cancer? 

_Cancer_ ? Cancer, as _in...cancer?_ His skin further blanched and the nurse looked horrified, “D-don't worry, Yagami-san! The medical field has gotten even more advanced cures for cancer.” 

“Treatments. Not cures. Treatments” glowered the doctor at her, “And they're not particularly advanced in this case.” 

“Doctor!” snapped the nurse, “Can't you be a little _better_ about this?” 

“It's fine!” intercepted Kyo, feeling like he was going to vomit, “Enough, I-I just need to know...why...and what I need to do?” 

“Well, this virus actually has killed two other of the people that were on your trip to South America in a similar manner” the nurse admitted, the hospital the adjoining treatment center with the school. “It seems that whatever it is causes the rapid multiplication of cells at an abnormal rate and that its spread throughout your body.” 

This couldn't be happening. Not to him. “So...what you're saying is...that this virus that they told us was nothing but a serious flu like thing has caused cancer that has killed two people and has led me to have a brain tumor which led to cancer?” 

She bit her lip and slowly nodded and he almost laughed. Cancer? 

“It can be treated with chemotherapy” the doctor said, “It's the lowest form of treatment we have at this point but considering just how rare your case is and how inefficient all the newer more productive treatments we have tried are, it's about all we can do.” 

Squeezing his knees in a vain attempt to keep from screaming, he was a second from throwing up. Chemo...? It was an archaic term by this point in time. They'd developed similar treatments that had the same side effects with better results. But chemo? 

“Oh Yagami-san” the woman rasped, “Do-do you want us to call someone?” 

...Call someone? 

His heart suddenly calmed and he felt firm, resolute, “Absolutely not. My wife's pregnant, my siblings have issues, and...and my dad's had enough problems as is. No, I'll...I'll tackle this on my own.” 

The nurse looked startled, “Cancer is not something to be 'tackled' alone, Yagami-san! It's a very stressful, emotional, and physically trying time! It's not going to be easy for you!” 

“Don't you think I know that!?” he snapped angrily before burying his stinging eyes in his hands, “Cancer. Cancer because I was doing my _job_. I drink, I don't have liver cancer! I've lived around smokers, I don't have lung cancer! No, no, I get...brain tumors because I went to work to support myself. Son of a bitch!” 

She looked helpless and bit her lip, “I was one of the nurses around when you were upset over what that doctor told you about your wife, Yagami-san.” 

Kyo slowly looked up at her wearily, a little surprised but pretty sure nothing would ever surprise him again. “Oh...?” 

“Yes, and-and I know your wife would want to be with you a hundred percent!” she blurted, “This is serious, you could lose your life! You need all the support you can!” 

...Lose his life? 

“...My baby, it's going to be a girl” he suddenly smiled shakily, “I know she's going to look like her mother. I just...know it.” 

“Yagami-san--” 

Kyo stood up, feeling shaky but resolute, “I'm not going damn anywhere, got it? None of this bullshit 'losing my life', you understand? I'll fight this with all that I have. I might not have their direct support but I'll win this _because_ of them. My daughter and son are-are going to have a father and I'll be damned if I'll be taken out for something as stupid as this!” 

Kneading his hair, he shook his head, “Let's...let's start whatever treatments as soon as possible. I'm assuming if I get rid of this tumor, the headaches will stop?” 

“Yes” the doctor said curtly. 

“Okay...” he murmured, the best bit of news he'd heard yet, “...Okay.” 

“I respect your decision...” the nurse said slowly, “But you have to understand your family will know something's the matter. You're going to lose weight on chemotherapy, you'll probably lose your appetite, and you'll most likely lose your hair.” 

It was almost funny that he found those last few things the most troubling of all this. Lose his hair? His appetite? Weight? But he was firm. “I understand that but...but we'll just go with this for now, alright?” 

“...Alright” she said reluctantly. 

Cancer, he thought numbly as he started the treatments, signed up for an appointment for chemotherapy, glad he took the incentive to be at a hospital that wasn't his cousin Jilliana or his grandfather's domain so he could keep this a secret. 

When he got to his car, he sat there for at least an hour and cried. Cancer? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“You have absolutely nothing to do with this, Jyun!” 

“I don't but I'm just telling you you're being ridiculous!” 

Yagami Kyo numbly walked into his uncle's home into the chaos. His siblings, sibling's spouses, and grandfather were all arguing heatedly over Hoshiko's denial of every institution they'd visited. He couldn't waste the energy, he thought exhaustedly. 

Gwen was stroking her brow and looked up at him before faltering, “Baby, are you okay? Your eyes are red!” 

“Allergies” he lied, wandering over and sitting beside her, “Lend me your lap? My forehead is going to split open.” 

“Of course...” she frowned more, “Well, what's left of it...” 

He chuckled dryly and rested his head there. Indeed, the baby was definitely taking it's fair share, “Hi baby girl...” 

Stroking his hair, Gwen asked over the dim of the argument, “Do you want something to eat, honey?” 

“No, I'm really not hungry, baby” he mumbled. 

He forgot he couldn't even speak blasphemy without red flags rising, “What? Are you okay?” 

“I'm fine!” he insisted, falling asleep, “Just I ate before I got here.” 

Gwen seemed unsure but decided to drop it, thankfully. He ended up falling asleep somehow for some odd minutes and woke up to the argument not having died at all. Scowling, annoyed, he sat up, “Jesus Christ! Why are you guys so f—king angry about this?! Just do what's damn right for your daughter, Hoshiko, and the rest of you stay out of it!” 

They all turned to him, shocked, and he gripped his brain, almost hoping it would explode, half because it was literally and metaphorically killing him and after what had happened to it, it was the least it could do. 

“Well, I'm trying to do what's best for my daughter but all of you just want to get rid of her!” Hoshiko snapped, “I'm not throwing Kaori into just any hole in the wall!” 

“No one wants to get rid of Kaori, Hoshiko” Nelly said with a sigh, “We want her to come back and to come back _better_. Your little girl does not have to be like this and as long as you pretend nothing's going on, the more irreversible it'll get.” 

“And nothing was wrong with half of those facilities” Julius mumbled, “You just don't want to send her away.” 

Hoshiko was crying now, “And I guess there's something wrong with that, huh? She was _okay_. She was fine! We-we just have to figure out how to get back to that!” 

Jyun stroked his brow before standing, wandering into the kitchen without a word. Nelly stared at her for a moment before looking away. Julius, exasperated, muttered something before disappearing to the basement. Roomi followed him. Gwen sighed and Kyo couldn't have felt more horrible. Cancer and his family was in shambles. 

What a great new year. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _It'll hurt a bit, Yagami-san...”_

No damn kidding. 

Kyo threw up and heaved every fluid he had in his system. It felt like pins were hitting every inch of his body and he was so cold. Lying on the couch of his school office, all he wanted to do was sleep and never wake again. 

Good news was he didn't have headaches. 

Huddling under his coat, he almost wept. He'd had fevers, pneumonia, raging bacterial stomach flus, and had been one of the last people to have chicken pox that made him ache. Never, ever would he belly-ache again over those pains. 

Sitting up, glancing at himself in the mirror Kaede actually made for him, he found he might as well have been translucent. Shaking his head, he stood and wandered, half out of his mind, to his classroom. Had to keep going. 

Had to. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _Kyo-chan...”_

_...Kyo-chan?_

_Kyo, ready to sleep like the dead, glanced at his wife who was stroking his thigh. Oh God, no. No, Gwen, no..._

_But she was gnawing her lip, stroking his thigh, looking at him pleadingly. She wanted sex. He gazed at her wide-eyed, a little horrified that she could even request such a thing._

_Before he remembered that she had no idea what he was going through._

_He made sure to hide whatever physical changes he was going through. Ate as much as he could, tried to maintain his weight, and claimed that any weight loss was due to stress and exhaustion. Gwen was thankfully too preoccupied with Kairi and their baby to put much more thought into it._

_But he naturally kind of forgot how horny Gwen got when she was late in her pregnancy._

_Kyo smiled weakly at her and whispered, “Uh, are you sure, honey? I mean, you know that sex can induce labor.”_

“ _Yes” she blurted and he almost grimaced when she started to stroke him, “...Please? Just once...”_

“ _...Alright” he said wearily._

_And if the fact he didn't have cancer wasn't horrible and made him feel at his all-time low, the fact that he couldn't get it up utterly emasculated him. Breathing heavily, completely exhausted and humiliated, he almost started to cry in horror when he turned to his surprised wife and whimpered, “I-I'm sorry...”_

_OH GOD._

_Gwen turned to him and smiled, bless her heart, and stroked his hair, “It's all right darling, you're tired.”_

_Thankfully she didn't say 'it happens to all guys'. He turned over on his side, in pain, and kissed her lips, “I promise, once all this baby and Kaori and work things die down--”_

“ _Baby” she laughed faintly, hugging his neck, “Go to sleep. I understand.”_

_...No. No, love, you really don't._

“You're doing surprisingly well, Yagami-san.” 

Kyo sat in the chair and felt like fainting, staring at this sadist angrily. He'd probably be able to meet a more sympathetic executioner than this bastard. But whatever. Flipping through his chart, the doctor tilted his head, “I'd say that with just a few more chemo treatments, we can suspend your appointments and see what happens from there.” 

“Best news I've heard all day” Kyo muttered, sitting up 

The nurse smiled at him, “How have things been going at home, Yagami-san?” 

“Well” he lied, rubbing his brow before frowning as his cell phone rang, “One moment...” 

Staring, he wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to talk to his brother, but sighed when he decided to answer, “Yes, Jyun? I hope this isn't about Hoshiko...” 

“No, much better news” Jyun said dryly, “Your wife is giving birth to your daughter.” 

Kyo jumped out of his chair despite the pain, his eyes widening, “R-really?” 

“Yep. When the booger will be out is up in the air but of course I'd advise you to get here as soon as possible.” 

“O-of course! Tell her I will be there in a few! Ah!” 

He was so relieved that he could be excited about something again, feeling a smile grow on his face despite his weakness. Glancing at the nurse and doctor, he informed them he needed to leave as he scheduled hopefully his last appointment. Almost over, almost over. You did good, Kyo. 

Nearly speeding to the hospital in Mineral, he didn't bother asking anyone where she was. Call him paranoid. He made his way to the room and found her breathing and screaming and all those things he featured first hand with Hotaru. Huh, he just realized he was yet to be there for his wife giving birth. He growled. That changed now. 

Gwen leered at him with his purple eyes after he suited up, “Why didn't you talk me out of this?” 

He laughed and held her hand, “Because.” 

“Mm, your hand seems smaller” she suddenly noticed. 

Hopefully she didn't notice his pulse speed up, “Oh really...?” 

She probably would have said more but a convulsion hit her and she sobbed. He grimaced and stroked her hair, gazing down to where the doctor was goading her on. It was one of the most comforting things he'd felt in months, he thought with a laugh. He just kind of wished it wasn't at his wife's discomfort, but... 

The shrieks of his daughter made all his problems melt away for that instance. Gwen took a breath of relief and smiled at him, sweaty. “Ready for hormones and boy crushes and demanding why she can't wear short skirts?” 

“All of which I will answer with a 'hell no'!” 

Gwen snickered and rolled her eyes, looking at the nurse, “...Last one.” 

“Last one” he chuckled, kissing her forehead, “Our collection is complete.” 

She elbowed him and kissed his cheek, “Don't be ridiculous.” 

He grinned and gasped as the nurse carried their baby over. Gwen cooed and glanced at him, “You want to hold her first?” 

“...Nah, you go ahead.” 

He was just happy to be alive for this, he thought warmly, hiding his tears. Gwen smiled as she held her, stroking back golden bronze locks, “She's gorgeous.” 

“She looks like her mama, just like I called” Kyo remarked proudly, leaning over and staring at her, “Oh, my beautiful baby...” 

“Bethany” Gwen smiled brightly about their agreed upon name. 

“Beth” he grinned again, nuzzling her cheek. 

“Is my seventh and hopefully _last_ grandchild in a place where I can comfortably look?” Yagami Nelly questioned from outside the door. 

Gwen laughed and Kyo snickered, “Yea _daddy_ , she's out of the threshold.” 

Nelly carefully pushed the door open and sighed as he entered, Jyun and Roomi behind him. Kyo took his daughter, staring up at him with her amethyst gaze, “Oi! Where's my son? I want him to meet his baby sister.” 

Roomi clapped, “I'll get him.” 

She skipped off and Nelly stuffed his hands in his pocket, gazing down at his granddaughter before he grinned, “Hey, pretty girl.” 

Jyun smirked, “Look out, bro, I bet she'll have all sorts of miscellaneous heathen boys after her.” 

“The hell she will” Kyo said plainly, “I'll be close behind with a shotgun.” 

“Kyo” Gwen smirked chidingly. 

Jyun laughed as Nelly took Bethany from him, “Well, you can always hope for that 'nun' thing.” 

Kyo laughed at that, “I can hope.” 

Gwen frowned, gazing around, “Where's Hoshiko?” 

Jyun rolled his eyes and walked over to sit on the couch, “She hates our guts again.” 

“I'd hoped we passed that point” Kyo rolled his eyes as well, cooing over his girl. 

Gwen sighed but smiled when Kairi wandered in, looking disgruntled, “I have been sitting outside _forever_!” 

His mother laughed and waved him towards her along with Kyo, “I'm sorry, baby, we'll get you some ice-cream for being so patient.” 

Satisfied with that, he skipped over and Jyun helped him up on the bed as Kyo sat beside Gwen, “Darling, I hope you don't get all angry and upset, but you have a baby sibling.” 

“Yea, that's why your mother's been able to put away more food than you lately. She was eating for two people” Kyo nodded. 

Jyun snickered as Gwen lightly tapped him. Kairi didn't seem that surprised, “I know that, _duh_.” 

“Well, smarty-pants, here she is” snorted Kyo. 

Kairi blinked absently and gazed down at his sister before tilting his head. He poked her cheek and she garbled some minute sound and Kairi's gaze widened, “Why's she so _small_?” 

Gwen laughed, “She's a _baby_. You were small as a baby too, silly.” 

“Not for long” Kyo stuck out his tongue. 

Gwen propped him up to hold her and Jyun grinned, taking a picture, “This really is a lot more soothing than everything that's been going on, yo.” 

Kyo smiled at that, “You have no idea.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _It's not receding, huh?”_

_The nurse bit her lip and shook her head, “But you're so close. There's only certain places where it's rapidly increasing. The cancer cells, that is.”_

_Kyo smiled weakly and felt like falling asleep... “My life's been a heavenly hell lately. I have my kids and my wife but I'm too exhausted and weak to appreciate them.”_

_The nurse sat next to him and looked thoughtful, “You need to tell them, Yagami-san.”_

“ _...My sister has an out of control daughter that's pretty much the reason our family is breaking apart. She's arguing against her husband, us, our father. It's ripping us apart and...and me telling them I have cancer? No, I can't. I can't ruin the good feelings we have at my home. It's all that's keeping us together.”_

“ _Perhaps” she allowed, “But you can't expect to get better if your family treats you like everything's okay. You told me you're staying up late with your baby? Working nearly full time? You need to rest. If you rest, you'll beat this in a second. You're really strong.”_

_Kyo considered that weakly and relaxed his head against the back wall, “...Am I?”_

He doubted it, especially when he fainted in class. 

One of the 'pricks' he told his dad about was questioning and challenging the hell out of him and it made him sad. Not because the guy questioned every word he said but because once upon a time, this would have delighted him. But no..no, it was making him want to vomit. He couldn't handle it... 

And next thing he knew, he woke up in the school clinic, Matt by his side. 

“Dude, are you _okay_? You're paler than I mentioned before and you're awfully light for a man who can eat his weight in pie” Matt said, annoyed, “Did you go to the doctor?” 

Kyo stared at the ceiling, confused, “...Where am I? What happened?” 

“You passed out in the middle of class. Your students went insane and I got called to carry you here” Matt muttered, “Now answer my question.” 

...He passed out in class? Was he that tired? 

He stayed up with a fussy Bethany until 4 a.m. this morning. He got at least an hour of sleep. Gwen was irritated because she stayed up with her all day. They got into a bit of an argument and he nearly let the cat out of the bag but luckily faltered and accepted the fate. 

...And he had an appointment later today. 

Kyo's lip shuddered and he curled onto his side, rasping, “Matt, can you help me write a temporary resignation letter?” 

“Resignation letter?” the man echoed, startled, “Why? What's going on?” 

“I...I can't do it anymore...” 

“Kyo!” 

“I can't!” he snapped, rushing towards the bathroom, slamming the door. 

He vomited up nothing, maybe an aspirin he took earlier, before leaning over the sink, scooping water into his mouth as he choked. D-damn it. He clenched his hair, shaking his head rapidly. 

...And he felt a clump. 

Incredulous, in an absolute state of disbelief, he stared at his hand, completely petrified. His...his... 

_His hair_ . 

He thought he'd been home free. He was on chemo and had no signs of losing his hair. He'd _always_ had hair. What was this? Why was this happening to him? Why...? 

Staring at the lock of hair a bit longer, gaping, he swallowed the burning lump in his throat. Because he wanted to pretend this wasn't happening to him. He wanted to pretend that he could beat this alone when he'd almost never been able to do something half as huge on his own. Who the hell did he think he was? 

Stuffing the clod of hair in his pocket, just a little sentimental, he wandered out to where Matt was waiting, wide-eyed. Kyo stared at his friend with a sad smile, “I have cancer, Matt. Can you help me write that letter?” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Yagami Jyun sat on the couch and felt miserable as he heard his niece yell all sorts of horrible stuff at his son. He gave up. If his sister couldn't tell that her daughter was akin to something from The Exorcist or a Stephen King novel, there was really nothing he, Julius, their dad, or anyone could do about it. 

Gwen had the baby rested against her chest, humming, before glaring at the door, “...You know, your brother told me he'd cut back on work for the baby but I swear he's been working more.” 

“I haven't really noticed” Jyun admitted, “I've been pretty preoccupied with everything else.” 

She sighed and grumbled. Kyo was acting really strange lately. He was awfully tired, falling asleep at the smallest drop of the hat. He barely had the energy to eat. And he was getting in all kinds of late. Or later than what they'd discussed. What was he doing? Did he really plan to let her single-handedly raise their children? 

Huffing, she blinked when Hoshiko walked in and Jyun instantly looked away. This didn't please his sister much. “What? If you have something to say, say it!” 

“I don't have f—king anything to say, Hoshiko, do whatever the hell you want” Jyun snorted angrily. 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she demanded. 

Jyun glared at her, “I'm too tired to start a fight with you, Hoshiko. Let's just let it be and hope my son doesn't turn into some misogynist psycho killer.” 

That made Gwen grimace and she wasn't shocked when it escalated into the usual shouting match. Then again, maybe her husband was tired from all this and knew when to get the hell out of dodge. 

Nelly walked in, looking irked, “Will you two _shut up_? I'm sick of yelling!”  
  


“Then tell her to start acting like a reasonable parent!” snapped Jyun. 

“I am being a reasonable parent!” Hoshiko countered, furious. 

Nelly was exasperated, “If I could give a damn about this anymore, I would. Sadly, I don't. This may be the most horrible thing I've been through in a long damn time. It's pretty much tied against your mother!” 

Hoshiko looked floored, “How can this begin to compare? I'm trying to protect my child!” 

“Against what? Getting help?” snarled Jyun. 

“Shut the hell up!” 

Gwen grimaced, “I, uh, think I'll go home.” 

“Don't” Nelly said flatly, “This ends _here_. I don't want to hear another word about this. You two may be adults but as your father, I will not hear another damn word about this. Do you understand?” 

They glowered at him and he glared fiercely back. Well, Nelly surely knew how to handle his kids, Gwen thought sadly. Truly, she had to take Kyo, Jyun, and Nelly's side on this. If Kairi was being this uncontrollable, she'd have to send him to get help and pray that he'd get better, not pretend that failed attempts will work. It was exasperating. 

She glared towards the door. As exasperating as her hubby making her into a housewife. Jerk. 

Suddenly the door opened and everyone looked up, tired of this, to Kyo walking in with a hood on his head, “Hey guys...” 

“Hey” muttered Jyun, “How's it going?” 

“Uh, I have something to tell everyone! And...if the kids can meander elsewhere” he shrugged awkwardly. 

Gwen cocked a brow, “What's this about? Where have you been?” 

Nelly crossed his arms, tilting his head, “Are you okay? You look like a vampire.” 

“I promise I'll tell you” he sighed before looking to where the kids were playing. 

Popuri frowned, setting some snacks on the tables before asking them to wait in the next room. They scurried off obediently and Kyo took a long, deep breath. Waiting a long moment, he visibly swallowed and reached up and pulled the hood of his grey hoodie back. They all flinched back, utterly startled, at Kyo's rather close cut. There was peach fuzz left, but... 

_What_ ? 

“...Is there a...reason you did that, son? You were born with more hair than that...” Nelly asked slowly, “You're not joining some cult, are you?” 

“Of course not...” 

Gwen held Bethany tightly, alarmed enough that she had nearly dropped her, “W-why then? Kyo...” 

“I, uh, have...been hiding something” he said slowly, “I've been tired and weak and not eating much lately because I found out a few months back that...uh, I have...cancer.” 

A dead uneasy silence fell over the group before Jyun finally whispered, “...What? What the hell are you talking about?” 

“I, uh....” Kyo laughed slowly, “Had hoped to beat it so I wouldn't have to tell you but I...passed out in class today from exhaustion so I thought the best thing to do is resign until I am better. And to make matters worse, I lost a clump of hair so I decided not to be too sentimental about it and cut it off. I couldn't bald myself completely though so I guess I still sort of am.” 

“ _What_ are you _talking_ about, Kyo?!” Jyun suddenly snapped, grabbing his brother's shoulders, “What the f—k is this about cancer?!” 

“I have it, okay!?” Kyo snapped back, “I-I got it from that-that stupid construction accident lodging some-some space in my brain and-and I had to virus from South America and it leaked infection in there and I had a tumor whi-which spread into full-fledged cancer and I've been doing chemotherapy for the last five months and I-I...” 

He choked but refused to cry, “It doesn't matter though. I just had to tell you so you guys wouldn't think I'm some slacker because...because I barely want to wake up in the morning. I'm forcing myself to work when I really need to rest. Th-they say I'm doing really well on the chemo, I just need to stop stressing myself so much and then I should be home free!” 

“ _Where_ have you been getting treatments?” Jilliana demanded, “I haven't heard anything from my hospital, we barely get cancer patients!” 

“I...I just went to the hospital affiliated with the school so I wouldn't get revealed to you or grandpa” Kyo mumbled, glancing at his feet. 

Jyun suddenly released his shoulders and wheeled around, clenching his forehead, “You-you bitch. I could punch your face in. How... _dare_ you keep this from us?!” 

“We already had enough going on!” Kyo insisted, “Between Kaori and-and Gwen being pregnant, I couldn't put that kind of thing on the family!” 

“Kyo, you have _cancer_!” Hoshiko snapped, clenching her lips, “W-what the hell were you _thinking_? How could you think you had to be _alone_ for that? How could you?!” 

Kyo's shoulders slumped, feeling utterly defeated, before looking slowly to his father. He just kind of stared at him before sucking his cheek and stalking off towards the deck. Kyo grimaced and looked at his wife... 

She was blanched and shaking, staring at him like he was some kind of mystery horror, before quickly handing Bethany to a shaken Roomi and rushing away to another room. He grimaced, reaching out for her, “Baby, I--” 

But she was gone and he was left feeling like scum. Popuri glanced after her husband who'd followed his twin before wandering over to him and hugging him tightly, “Don't you worry about a thing, darling. You didn't have to keep anything from us for so long. We're your family and we're here to support you. We love you.” 

He felt tears well in his eyes as Popuri pulled away, smiling at him, “I'll try to make you something light to eat, alright? You need your strength.” 

“Thank you, Aunt Po.” 

Jyun glared at him like he hated his guts before turning away, clearly ready to cry himself. Roomi wandered up to him, scowling, “Stop being like that! You should be supportive, not an ass.” 

“It's fine” Kyo assured weakly, “I know this isn't easy...” 

“You've...looked weird lately” Jyun suddenly muttered, sounding like he wasn't talking to anyone in particular, “And I've just been too stupid to notice.” 

Kyo grimaced at his brother's harsh assessment, “Th-that's not true, Jyun...I've just fought hard to hide it. I...don't like being a burden.” 

“A burden” Hoshiko repeated, laughing bitterly, “You've got cancer and all you can think of is being a 'burden'. You're dumb as hell, Yagami Kyo!” 

“This really isn't as uplifting as I'd hoped it'd be...” he groaned loudly. 

Roomi hugged his waist, “You can't blame us for being dumbfounded, you silly thing. But you're right about one thing: you're not going to be defeated by this.” 

He smiled weakly at his sister-in-law, “Thanks, Roo.” 

Jyun's shoulders drooped and alarmed him when he hugged him, “...You better be okay. I'll never forgive you if you aren't.” 

Kyo nodded softly and Jyun nodded firmly, “Good. I love you.” 

Hoshiko hugged him too and wept, “I love you too and I'm sorry that my issues made you think you had to hide things from us.” 

Most of his family hadn't arrived yet and each time he announced it, he was met with a new reaction, usually angry. But they embraced him and, surprisingly, Hoshiko sat down with Julius and discussed a practical way to deal with Kaori. They'd send her away but they'd make sure to visit her often. Julius had agreed and that was good. 

But Kyo noted neither his wife nor father returned hours after his admittance and he just held his baby miserably. Kissing her, he smiled, “They're so silly, Beth. Why would daddy go anywhere when all he has is here?” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Don't you think you're being a little cold?” 

Nelly glared angrily at his brother as he clenched the railing of his deck, “You know, at times like these, I'd be smoking a cigarette. Or drinking. Or if it were college, finding solace in some woman's bed. But no, no. My son...my little son has cancer not because of drinking. Or-or smoking. Or promiscuous sex. He has cancer because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time _twice_.” 

Nelly bit his fist and shook his head, “My wife left me, Koji. My wife of three decades. She flips out on me because I try to move on even though she has definitely moved on. She's married and happy and has a baby. My granddaughter is only eight-years-old and needs psychological help. And then my baby boy...has cancer. I must have done something utterly fucked up to the universe, futago, because _something_ up there hates me!” 

Nelly didn't know whether to sob or scream as he pressed his balled fists to his eyes. Koji forced him to sit after a moment and grasped his knees. “Remember they caught mine before it was full blown, Nelly?” 

He paused his actions and glanced at his brother before nodding miserably. Koji nodded as well, “They caught mine. But you remember how scared I was? How much I feared I was going to die?” 

Nelly nodded once more and Koji squeezed comfortingly, “Well, your son _has_ it. If you can remember my anguish back then then you should know that right now, Kyo is fighting for his life and he didn't even want to tell you because he didn't want to become one more issue. And he's strong but he still turned to you. And he needs you, Nerimaru. You're his father. His mother is, for lack of a better term, MIA so you're all he has. You need to be strong for him. Got it?” 

He bit his lip and nodded. Koji sighed, giving him a smile, “All our kids are fighters, understand? Nothing will happen to your son as long as you keep an open mind. Okay?” 

Squeezing his eyes shut, he nodded once and Koji stood, grasping his elbow, “C'mon, futago, you've been wallowing out here long enough.” 

Nelly let out a slow breath and wandered back into the room where Kyo was sitting on the couch, holding Bethany and humming to the infant as he gave her a bottle. Nelly weakly walked over and kissed the top of his son's head. “...You'll be alright.” 

Kyo looked up at him and smiled, “Of course.” 

Nelly nodded and sat down beside him, glancing at his kids who looked utterly miserable before noticing Gwen was nowhere in sight. Sighing, he took Bethany and muttered, “Go own up to your wife, you idiot. She's probably beating herself up right now.” 

Kyo grimaced and nodded, standing slowly and walking towards where his wife was hiding in the basement. 

Nelly watched after his son, weak with worry. Funny, an hour ago, he compared his granddaughter's issues to being worse than his wife leaving him. 

Funny how quickly he could prove himself wrong. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“You're an idiot, Yagami Gwen, an absolute idiot!” she sobbed, curled up on the couch. 

Cancer. Her husband, her life, had cancer. No, she didn't expect that. How could she? But...but he was so tired, her vibrant, energetic husband. He could barely stay awake long enough to do anything and she called him 'lazy'. But God, if that wasn't enough, he wasn't _eating_? That wasn't enough for you, Gwen? Your ravenous spouse could only eat a carrot stick at most and that didn't set off any alarms? Not to mention he was pale. And thin. And weak. No Gwen, that's not him being sick with anything, that's him making you a housewife by getting out of work. You stupid, stupid broad. 

“Baby?” 

And that bastard. How dare he? How dare he try to protect her and suffer in silence? How dare he allow her to treat him like he was okay and force him to stay awake with the baby when he was struggling to survive? How dare he?! 

Sitting up, face red with tears and fury, she glared at him, “I hate you!” 

“I know” Kyo winced, slowly walking towards her, “Forgive me?” 

She swallowed a massive lump and stared at him. He looked frail, unlike the man she loved, and it killed her inside. Weeping, she threw herself against him and sobbed. “Why did you lie? I'm your _wife_ , I should know when you're suffering!” 

“Because I love you and our children and the last thing I wanted to do was be a problem for you. And the only reason I told you now is because I need rest to make it through that last mile. I'm so close to being done, Gwen, I can taste it. I just...I need your help” he rasped, burying his nose in her hair. 

Gwen shivered and looked up at him, “But you didn't need it before, right?” 

“I wouldn't have gotten this far without you, Gwen. You guided me even though you didn't know it. All of you did” he insisted softly. 

She gazed at him, at the deep bags beneath his eyes, his almost ivory skin, and couldn't help the wash of tears, “If you-if you... _die_ or anything, Yagami Kyo, I will never ever be the same. You are not going anywhere or I promise--” 

“I'm not” he grimaced, hugging her tightly, “How could I leave Kairi or Bethany or you? You guys are my everything and nothing's going to take me away from you guys, okay? Promise.” 

She trembled in his weakened embraced and nodded sadly. Leaning back, he stared upward at the ceiling as she shuddered to sleep but for once in a long time he was restless. 

And this was supposed to be the greatest year of his life. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cancer, Ryuu?
> 
> I realized that the Yagami family is inevitably invincible. And really, that's a part of their charm. Most people would have committed suicide or went psycho when our heroes and heroines in this story surmount all that comes against them. It's a fictional story but it's the best life lesson I can present: that failure is not the end but a fresh beginning. A lesson in life, if you will.
> 
> But how can I portray a family that's been through everything in an even different light? What have I known that just rips a family apart?
> 
> First off, a family failing to realize how significant it is to notice that a family member needs mental help or guidance that's not being provided to them. I had an aunt like Hoshiko and a grandmother like Hoshiko as well that failed to see my cousin was in such a horrible environment that it would be impossible for him to do any better than he was and that was already bad. He'd robbed stores, been arrested, but they still refused to see that he needed better. And now, he's sitting in jail as an accessory for murder until I'm well into my 40s and he's well into his 60s. His life is pretty much over now not only because he didn't recognize the flaws in himself but because those around him failed to recognize them as well. It's set my family at a bit of a standstill. 
> 
> Not to mention the cancer.
> 
> I've had so many relatives with cancer. My dad's best friend, like an uncle to us, failed to recognize his cancer and was dead within a matter of months. But none of those compare to my grandfather who died of prostrate cancer when I was six. 
> 
> In theory, I get all this family glee I write about from my experiences with my own family. No, we never met up every Monday for dinner but every holiday, every parade day, every weekend of the summer, we went to my grandparent's place in the country to be together when it was possible. My best memories, as country as they seem, is picking green beans with my grandmother and snapping them in the kitchen (sounds like something Harvest Moon-y, in fact...). And my grandfather, he would play his harmonica and guitar for hours. I was too young to appreciate it then and too dumb to realize he was dying. But he was that glue that kept the family together, kept us going down there every Christmas, every New Years, to celebrate. He brought that glee to everything.
> 
> Losing him, I lost all urge to return to that place as did all my relatives, it seems. It's a place that lacks spirit, lacks that joy that grandpa added to it, and now it's gone. We haven't gone down on a Thanksgiving day or Christmas day in years, choosing days after to visit my grandmother. She moved from the place where my grandfather kept his vegetable garden so I don't even have the ability to keep that alive. Cancer is unforgiving.
> 
> When I originally wrote this, I expressed that “one of my mother's sisters [was] diagnosed with breast cancer and another of them with colon”. The former has since passed on during her fifth recurrence of breast cancer. I posted in Yume my anguish over thinking she'd be fine as always and having chosen work over going to see her one last time because I figured she'd be okay. I got to talk to her one last time the night before she died and she couldn't say a word. I told her I'd see her soon and my mother expressed she'd smiled. The next day my cousin text me and told me 'she didn't make it' while I was putting up stock. That was two years ago and I still feel absolute guilt over it, that I didn't recognize the situation and was still has dumb as I was about my grandfather. My last memories of her are even getting angry because she was upset over a Facebook blog I posted. It's an awful feeling.
> 
> Cancer and negligence are two serious issues and if I felt I had no perspective on them, I'd never write about them but alas, I know. I've never featured them personally, except possibly the negligence in my own home, but I've felt them as a result of my family. Kaori has thankfully already gained the peace that I wish my cousin had gained before it was too late.
> 
> However, Kyo's a story waiting to happen.
> 
> (I also want to note that I am an English major and not majoring in any sorts of medicine so I read and researched as much as I could about feasible ways that Kyo could have gotten cancer. It's really tragic that he got it in such a way but I read cancer can be contracted through various virus...so in short, excuse my sketchy medical knowledge)


	28. Lesson Twenty-Six

What is cancer? 

Yagami Kairi held still as his mother, with the brightest smile he'd seen her with in months, straightened the little jacket on his uniform. “Oh, look at my big boy! All grown up and going to kindergarten.” 

She rested the little hat on his head as well and stood, clasping her hands, appearing delighted, “Let me take a picture and send it to grandma.” 

Kairi nodded and stood solemnly for the picture before scurrying off. He had to show his dad too, of course. 

Coming down the steps, he took a little breath when he found Yagami Kyo rested on the couch, a skull cap over his head, the tasseled throw covering his legs as he lulled and napped. His dad had no hair, he noted to himself for possibly the millionth time. And his arms looked like a spider's sometimes. 

So...what was cancer? 

Gwen walked down the steps and took a deep breath, finding him looking at Kyo quietly. “Baby, Kairi wants to show you something for a second.” 

Kyo's lips briefly pursed when he swallowed and his dark brown eyes opened, dazed. When he looked at Kairi though, he grinned, “Ah! Look at my little man! First day of kindergarten!” 

He sat up with a grimace before patting beside him, indicating to Kairi to sit. Kairi quickly went over and sat beside his father as the man looked thoughtful. “Um, school, son, is a...interesting experience. Or at least it's what you make it. Kindergarten is going to be some of the greatest days of your life...then it might go a little down hill until your last year of high school and college is just a straight blast as long as you're not a yuppie.” 

“What's a yuppie, daddy?” he asked curiously. 

“Someone that can not have fun, comes to school dressed like they're going to work but are as stupid as the rest of us” he nodded. 

Gwen smirked, “Uh, Kyo...” 

“Oh yea. Anyway, do good in school, don't talk back to your teacher, don't eat glue, get along with your classmates, and wait for your mommy to come pick you up. Capisco?” Kyo questioned. 

“Si, daddy” Kairi nodded. 

Kyo grunted and hugged him, kissing his forehead, “Then have a good day! I want to hear all about it when you get back.” 

“Okay, daddy!” 

Gwen smiled and leaned over, kissing Kyo's forehead, “You want me to bring you back anything, baby?” 

“Nah, I'm good. I shall just chill here with my babay...” Kyo yawned, picking up Bethany from her car seat that had been resting at his feet and resting her on his stomach. 

“Okay” Gwen agreed and took Kairi's hand, “Come on, baby, your first day!” 

Kairi smiled brightly and nodded, heading out the door but not before looking back at his dad... 

Cancer was something his father had. It took his hair away and apparently made him like a spider. He also didn't like eating ice cream anymore. His mother explained that daddy was very sick and had to rest and get better. He supposed so, ice-cream was delicious and shouldn't be missed out on... 

But his father sat him down, told him that no matter how sick he was, he was always going to be there for him and that he didn't even begin to have to sweat the details. Nevertheless... 

What was 'cancer'? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“She's crying...” 

Kyo opened his eyes slowly and glanced at his sister as she sat glumly on Jyun's knee, “They say she's crying every night but I can't go comfort my baby at all.” 

A complete turn around from three months ago, Jyun rubbed her back, “I know it's tough, imoto, I'd have trouble handling that myself...but they had to have given you some good news.“ 

Hoshiko sighed and stroked back a strand of hair, “Oh, of course. They told me she's functioning very well but she's really antisocial. But who wouldn't be, surrounded by a bunch of kids you don't even know?” 

Kyo stretched and sat up, rubbing his eyes, “She'll be fine, Hoshi...” 

“I hope so” she rasped. 

Jyun glowered towards him, “How are you doing today though?” 

“Same as everyday: amazingly better” Kyo snorted, resting his head against the couch, “I bet I'd be cured by now if I'd just...slept.” 

“Duh, jackass.” 

Kyo smirked at Jyun. His 'onii-san' would probably never ever let him live down keeping cancer from him. And pretty much no one would, it seems. Honestly, his grandfather was nearly the most angry about it, stating that chemotherapy was quite possibly the most damaging treatment there was and he didn't know what hack would still be prescribing it in this day and age. Kyo informed Yamada that the doctor had told him that there weren't advanced treatments for the type of cancer he had. Malarkey, was all Yamada had said before going to sulk. Yea, he dropped the ball here, definitely. 

He rubbed his forehead and grimaced as his stomach gurgled, signaling 'feed me now, ho-bag!'. Not now. “So Kairi started school today and I just feel so...old.” 

“Aww” cooed Hoshiko, “I bet he's excited though! Akira can't wait.” 

“Kamon wasn't so pleased until he met his little girlfriend” Jyun remarked, shifting a little to balance Hoshiko's weight. 

“Oh, the pretty little girl...Aurelia?” Hoshiko blinked. 

Jyun nodded and Kyo sighed, “Only your kid would start so young.” 

Before Jyun could remark, the door opened and Gwen, Bethany, and Kairi entered. Kyo glowered at his wife, a little disgruntled. “You could have left Beth here.” 

“You'd fallen asleep and she was wide awake” Gwen remarked simply, handling a baby, bags of groceries, and the mail like a pro. 

Jyun did grab Bethany though and Kairi skipped to him, “Daddy, daddy! It was so much fun at school!” 

“Sweet! Tell me all about it!” Kyo gasped, excited, picking him up. 

Jyun chuckled, kissing a gabby Bethany on the lips before handing her to Gwen, “I need to go check up on my own munchkins.” 

“Me too” Hoshiko smiled, standing, “We'll check on you later, Kyo.” 

“Kay...” 

Kairi watched them and looked up at Kyo, “Daddy, Uncle Jyun and Aunt Hoshiko come by a lot more. Why?” 

“They're crazy” Kyo remarked dryly, kissing his forehead, “Now tell me about your day.” 

Kairi brightly told him how they had a snack of apple juice and yummy cookies and he won the game of dodgeball and met new people. “I didn't learn much though” his nose wrinkled. 

Kyo laughed, nudging him affectionately, “Well, you're already a smart camper as is, you were singing David Bowie before you were two.” 

“Kairi, sweetie, take your uniform off before you get it dirty!” called Gwen from the kitchen. 

Kairi pouted and Kyo chuckled, “You get to put it back on tomorrow, 'kay? Do as your mama says and wash up so we can watch television.” 

“Okay, papa!” 

Kyo watched after his only son with a faint smile and wandered into the kitchen where his wife was working away at getting things set up to prepare dinner. He hugged her waist, stilling her motions, resting his chin on her shoulder. 

“You tired, baby?” 

Gwen smiled at him, indeed appearing weary but shaking her head to the negative. Kyo scowled and hugged her tighter, “I want you to go relax on the sofa. Let me make dinner.” 

“Oh Kyo, no” she frowned, shaking her head again. 

“No 'no'. Go sit down and watch cartoons with our babies. Daddy can still fry up something good for his preciouses” Kyo said haughtily, looking at all she had set up. 

Gwen didn't seem so sure. “Kyo, if you cut yourself--” 

“I'll bleed” he answered plainly, “Like any other living person.” 

She grimaced “You...you know what I mean.” 

“And I appreciate it” he assured, grasping her waist and directing her towards the couch, “Now shoo. You're missing a world of clearly gay but in the closet crime fighters and dancing bananas.” 

Gwen laughed at that, “Man, what am I missing...” 

Kyo rubbed his hands together and glanced at all the things before him. Now what should he cook... 

...At one point, he would have cooked this and been delighted to enjoy a meal with his family. He made spicy cabbage rolls, one of Kairi's favorites, and the the Southwestern panini that Gwen loved. For himself... 

“I'm kind of tired after my Iron Chef feats” he yawned loudly, stretching and taking Bethany and her warmed bottle, “Now I'm going to go rock my sweetie to sleep with me. Good night, my lovelies.” 

Kairi blinked after him and Gwen cocked a brow, “Daddy didn't eat anything, mama.” 

“...No he didn't, did he?” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _Hey, you kid.”_

_Yagami Kairi was playing in the sandbox when a particularly unattractive kid, rather round and fat and all around bulbous, walked up to him. He frowned._

“ _Yes?”_

“ _You're the one with the weird looking dad, right?”_

_...What? “...My dad's not weird looking”he scowled._

“ _Yea he is” the kid refuted snidely, “My mama says that he's going to die.”_

_Kairi's eyes widened and he flew to his feet, his fists balled, “My daddy is not going to die!”_

“ _Ya huh” he stuck out his tongue, “They're just lying to you because you're a stupid baby.”_

“ _I am not!” Kairi snarled, “And my daddy's not going to die.”_

“ _What an idiot! Fine, don't say I didn't tell ya' so.”_

_He wandered off and left Kairi standing there, speechless. His dad...was going to..._

_...Die?_

Kairi sat beside his dad for a long few minutes, watching the man as he slept heavily on the couch, his mouth agape, snoring. His eyes traveled up his father's face that was sullen, thin, and pale, his eyes darkened. And the cap...the cap hid his lack of hair. 

...Dying? 

Kyo's face twitched a bit before his eyes opened slightly before he jumped up, “Holy crap!” 

Kairi jumped, a tad startled too, and Kyo groaned, holding his heart, “Holy crap, Kairi, you scared me! What are you doing?” 

“...Nothing.” Making sure you were still alive. 

Kyo grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck, “Stop being weird. What's up? How was school?” 

“...Daddy” he whimpered, “Can I stay home tomorrow?” 

His father's face registered surprise, “Why? I thought you liked school.” 

“I...I do...I just want to stay home tomorrow!” he blurted. 

Kyo tilted his head, puzzled, before nodding slowly, “Well, we...have to ask your mom first, of course.” 

Kairi seemed unsure about this but Kyo pushed him along to change his clothes, scowling, and wandering to where Gwen was changing Bethany, “Did something happen at school today...?” 

The blonde looked up and frowned, shaking her head, “No, the teacher didn't mention anything in particular. Why?” 

“He wants to stay home tomorrow...” 

Gwen sulked, “He just started school a day ago, he can't start skipping now!” 

“I know, I know. Let's humor him though” Kyo insisted, “Maybe it's too much for him right off the bat. A lot's going on around here as is.” 

“...If you think so” she sighed. 

And that was just the start... 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _Uncle Jyun.”_

_Jyun was meandering through his sister's house, waiting for Fujiwako to be done with whatever tutoring lessons she had, and blinked at his nephew...Kairi. He was over playing with Akira. Kairi looked at him rather seriously._

“ _Yea, buddy?”_

“ _My daddy says he hates you.”_

_Jyun's brows tweaked and Hoshiko cocked a brow, “Oh, does he now? Did he tell you that?”_

“ _No” he said cautiously, “But he says he hates you because you have hair.”_

_Jyun's eyes widened and he gaped, speechless, Hoshiko looking shocked as well. Akira tugged Kairi off to show him something outside and the two ran off. Jyun and Hoshiko shared a brief glance before Jyun grimaced, grasping his rather long flowing locks. “I...guess that kind of sucks.”_

_Hoshiko bit her lip and sighed, “I mean, Kairi probably took something Kyo said too seriously. 'Oh, those dorks with their long flowy hair' or something.”_

_Jyun winced again and shook his head, “I doubt he was serious but, uh, I feel a little bad about it, now that it's been pointed out.”_

_Hoshiko nodded slowly and they slowly dared to glance at each other and Jyun started to gnaw his lip. Jeez._

Yagami Fujiwako skipped towards her father's SUV, holding her violin, humming. Swinging the door open, she climbed in and the ten year old started to smile at him...but ended up screaming. 

“Oi!” Jyun proclaimed, completely disgruntled. 

“ _Dad_?” Fujiwako gasped, utterly astounded. 

Jyun snorted and started up the car, “Who else? You better not be climbing into other strange men's cars, young lady.” 

“What happened to your...?” 

Yagami Jyun just groaned and played with the long fringe of bang he had hanging over one eye, “I mean...it doesn't look bad, right?” 

“Well...no...” Fujiwako allowed. 

He went to see his mother-in-law and informed her he was wanted to donate the length of his hair to one of those cancer programs. She'd seemed startled but cut it. For the first time in his _entire_ life, his hair didn't even touch his neck, just doing some weird dovetail seam thing in the back of his head. So he wouldn't suffer from some mental breakdown, she left his bangs all emo like but he still felt so... _naked_. 

“Mom is going to kill you...or she's dead if she's seen it already” Fujiwako remarked as they headed up the road. 

Jyun sulked, “I did it for your uncle, okay? I know she won't like it but my hair grows back freakishly fast anyway.” 

Fujiwako nodded at that, “Maybe it'll be okay.” 

“Psh, I wouldn't go that far.” 

When they arrived for the traditional dinner night, Jyun nearly just dropped Fujiwako off. He wasn't really sure he was ready to face anyone with this yet. 

But he manned up and groaned as he followed Fujiwako in. The first one he _naturally_ met was Inaba Carrie. The blonde was just walking briefly through the entrance and turned to him, ready to just greet him simply...but faltered and her icy blue eyes grew large. 

“...ZO my GOD.” 

“Shaddap” he muttered, hugging her, “You should be comforting me. When have I not had long hair?” 

Carrie actually started fondling the back of his head as if to make sure he didn't have it tucked or something, “OH MY GOD! What made you do this?” 

“Ugh, something Kairi told me...” he groaned again. 

She just stared at him and shook her head, appalled, “I have no idea who you are.” 

“Thanks” he snorted. 

The woman followed him into the living room where mostly everyone was. Nelly looked up languidly, eating a cheese puff, before choking. 

“Okay, you guys are out to kill me, that's all there is to it” he coughed, quite irritated, Koji hitting his back. 

Takeru sat with 'Yuki' in his lap, “I dunno, I think it's kind of cool.” 

Jyun sulked as Carrie actually lurked around him, staring at him like she truly had no idea what to make of this, “Thank you, Takeru, at least _one_ of you don't suck.” 

Popuri smiled brightly, “It's lovely, dear! Just you've always had long hair, it's a little shocking.” 

He groaned when he heard his wife scream, burying his face in his hands, “So it seems...” 

“ _Are you insane_?” Yagami Roomi practically shrieked. 

He leered at her as she stomped up to him, yanking him down to her shortness and making _sure_ he'd broken an absolute taboo. “I--” 

“Who said your hair belongs to you?!” she glared. 

Jyun's eyes narrowed a bit, more out of exasperation than anything else, “I did it for Kyo, okay? I donated it to that cancer organization that makes wigs...” 

This seemed to startle his little wife and he almost cried when he tried to grasp something that was no longer there, “Oh, my life is over!” 

Nelly seemed surprised at his admission too before snorting, “You'll be okay.” 

“I know...” Jyun muttered with a sigh, “It's not that bad.” 

“Argh, you better not get all butchy weird military cut again, Hoshiko!” 

“Shut up, Kyo!” 

Jyun sighed as his siblings showed up with their spouses. He glanced back at Hoshiko who also got her hair cut, but at least it was cute girly. Kind of like that flapper stage she went through a while back. Julius and Kyo looked pretty disgruntled though. She had pretty long straight hair nowadays like his _had_ been... 

But Kyo came up beside him...and actually _squeaked._

“What. The. Hell?” 

Jyun smiled back at him darkly, “Welcome to the Twilight Zone, little brother.” 

Hoshiko smirked at him but Kyo looked horrified, “What did you DO? Who are you?!” 

“Feh!” 

Hoshiko sighed, sitting beside her father who was staring at her weirdly too, “Kairi told us you'd said something about us having hair and it just kind of made us realize we could do something for the cause, at least.” 

Gwen glanced at Kyo who looked bewildered, “...I've never said anything about you guys having hair.” 

Jyun frowned, “...What? I mean, of course we're going off a five-year-old but he had to get that from somewhere, right?” 

Kyo's brow rose and he slowly shook his head, frowning, “...Uh, sorry guys, but no. I mean, why would I be like 'how dare they have hair?!'. I can't start hating like 99 percent of people just like that.” 

They both were silent and Kyo groaned, a stilted sound, “Not to mention everything's so freakin' out of whack as is, I would want some things to stay constant. I mean, if it was just Hoshiko, fine, but God, you...” 

Jyun almost blanched before shrugging, “I...feel weird, of course, but I also feel a little accomplished. The people we donated to seemed pretty excited.” 

“Yea, that was nice! We should write a piece on it in the next issue” Hoshiko stroked her chin. 

Jyun sighed as Roomi gave him a look, pulling her into his lap, “I think that sounds good...how about _you_ , lovely wife?” 

“I suppose” she said grudgingly, before playing with his bangs, “You might as well bleach half of this green, ya' dork.” 

“Thanks, but I'm not fifteen” he stuck out his tongue. 

“Hey, I do that all the time” Takeru grunted. 

Carrie smirked, stroking his hair that he'd dyed atomic bleach blond, “You're just special, sweetie.” 

“You look like Billy Idol right now” Koji remarked in a helpful tone. 

“Awesome!” 

Kyo's eye closed as he smirked, “Then again maybe weird and off the wall is normal around here...” 

Gwen seemed less amused. “Why would Kairi say you said something like that? My baby is not allowed to be a liar, Kyo.” 

Kyo grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck, “He's been acting really funny lately, actually. He's already skipping school and faking illnesses and creepily watching me sleep. And now apparently making stuff up. Maybe something psychological does run in the family.” 

“Or as a result of your mother” muttered Nelly. 

Koji grimaced and Popuri shook her head, “I'm sure there's a reason behind it, dear. You just need to talk to him.” 

Kyo nodded absently and felt a headache come on. Standing, he smiled sleepily, “I'm going to go lie in the basement, if that's okay.” 

“Of course” Popuri assured, standing, “Let me make sure it's warm for you down there, dear.” 

“No, that's fine, Aunt Po” he smiled quickly. 

But she insisted and he went down there, sleeping the entire time. His dad wandered down for a bit, he noted, and the man sat beside him and watched him for a long time. Kyo hated himself for his dad the most. His wife leaves him, his wife wrecks his relationships, and now, to make matters suck even more, he had cancer. Kyo had to fight for him too. 

His siblings actually cut their hair because they thought he despised them for that factor? Something so extreme seemed absolutely ridiculous to him but they had felt it necessary. They were always behind him, supporting him in whatever way. Jyun usually took him to his chemo treatments as well as his usual doctor appointments and listened closely. His brother always seemed excessively troubled after they'd pumped all that radiation into him. Maybe because Kyo always ended up vomiting and his flesh was akin to the color of a sheet of paper. Hoshiko went with him less because she usually just couldn't handle it. But in other aspects, spending time with him, making him feel like everything was normal, except for this hair deal, they were awesome and he appreciated that greatly. But again, it made him feel so low. Hoshiko had a kid who was having troubles, Jyun had his life, his family, and yet they devoted so much time to him as well. He had to get better for them too. 

Gwen wrapped a plate for him that he had no intentions of eating. When they arrived back home, he glowered after Kairi who was ready to scurry upstairs. 

“Kai.” 

He paused and turned to him, looking rather innocent, “Yes, daddy?” 

“Why did you lie to your Uncle Jyun and Aunt Hoshiko and say I said something that I didn't?” he questioned in a measured tone. 

Kairi suddenly looked nervous, “Because...you don't have hair...” 

“Daddy has a reason not to have hair and luckily your Aunt and Uncle aren't upset about it but _I_ am. You are not to lie and put words in my mouth, you hear me?” Kyo said firmly. 

Kairi bowed his head and swiftly nodded but Kyo grunted, “Look at me, Kairi. No lying.” 

Of course he was crying, kids hated being put on the spot like that, and that's when Kyo just turned into a big softy. Uh, should have let Gwen handle this. Sinking to his knees, he clutched his son's shoulders, “Why have you been acting like this lately? And you've been using every trick in the book to get out of school and you're only five! What's going on? You know you can tell me.” 

He started to weep, clawing at his eyes, “N-nothing, papa. I just don't want to go to school.” 

“You liked it your first day” Kyo insisted. 

“That was before the mean guy--!” he started but paused, stunned, before staring at his toes like he'd led the cat out of the bag. 

AH HA. “Someone's teasing you, aren't they?” Kyo grunted, squeezing his son's shoulders lightly. 

“N-no!” 

But it made sense and Kyo felt accomplished though irked. “Kairi, you don't have to let somebody pick on you, silly.” 

Kairi bit his little lip and Kyo scowled, “No one's picking on my kid, dang it! I'll talk to your teacher tomorrow, don't you worry.” 

Kairi nodded almost absently. Kyo tilted his head. He seemed rather worried. Well, he supposed whoever had threatened if he told, little bastard. Kissing Kairi's forehead, he sighed, “I mean it, Kairi. I thought you were getting all nutty on me. You can talk to me about anything.” 

His purple eyes lowered, he mumbled something completely incoherent and Kyo blinked, “What was that?” 

“...Nothing, papa” he shivered, “I'm sleepy. Can I go to bed?” 

Kyo was reluctant about letting him go, especially when he was this close to getting an answer but figured he could get one tomorrow. Nodding, he patted the boy's shoulder and he quickly ran off. Rising off his achy knees, he glanced at Gwen as she walked in, carrying a sleeping Bethany, with a frown. 

“Someone's teasing him? Why wouldn't he tell us?” 

“Dunno. But I need something to do, I'll go figure it out tomorrow” Kyo smiled, taking Bethany from her. 

“Okay...” she said hesitantly and he started for the steps, “Um, Kyo!”   
  


He paused and looked back at her questioningly. The blonde kneaded her hands and looked anxious, “Baby, I know you don't think I've noticed but I have. You're not eating well lately.” 

Kyo hid a cringe and shrugged, “I eat when it suits me.” 

“But you won't get better if you don't eat regularly” she insisted quickly. 

He didn't seem sure, shockingly to her, and smiled, “I'll eat more. Let's go to sleep.” 

“...Okay.” 

He was tired. Kissing Bethany, he closed his eyes. But... 

He would make it. Jyun, Hoshiko, his father, his family... 

He had to get better for all of them. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Yagami Kyo looked around at the little kids that were shorter than his knee, scurrying about and screaming and laughing and just so happy. He smiled despite himself. College was completely different, of course, with students coming in half-awake and mumbling about having to wake up at the crack of one in the afternoon but this made him miss it. 

...Soon. 

The teacher was the typical young girl and was smiling as the children skipped in. He figured if she wasn't Kairi's teacher she could direct him. Walking over, he cleared his throat, “Excuse me.” 

She turned to him, blinking, before 'oh'ing!', “Oh! Are you Kairi's daddy?” 

Was it the cancer? “Ah, yes...” he smiled some. 

“It's nice to meet you! He talks about you all the time” she said brightly. 

Kyo blinked. Really? “Oh, I'm sure it's all horrible.” 

“Not at all! He's really a very sweet boy, quite smart and helpful! He's quite the snacker too.” 

That made Kyo laugh, “Yea, that's my son. But um, can I ask you something?” 

“Of course” she blinked, smiling and parading more children in. 

“Well, it seems that he's being bullied or something. The reason he had absences recently is because he's been adamant about not coming and I found out last night someone's been picking on him” Kyo frowned. 

The teacher looked shocked, “What? We have a no-tolerance policy for bullying! I wish he would have told me, it would have been straightened out right away. Did he tell you who?” 

Kyo frowned more, “No, it took a lot to get that out of him. I mean, you haven't noticed?' 

“Not at all! I mean, everyone gets along so well with Kairi” she insisted, “It's almost hard for me to believe someone's picking on him. Perhaps it's another student from another class as well. Someone may bother him during recess...” 

Kyo bit his lip, cocking a brow, and the woman seemed perplexed before firm, “Don't you worry, I will figure this out immediately!” 

“Thank you” Kyo smiled softly before feeling light-headed... “Um, I think he's already here but tell him daddy will come walk him from school today. Maybe that'll make him feel a little better.” 

“Oh, of course! And thank you for coming to speak with me, it was nice to finally meet you.” 

He parted with thanks and felt queasy as he clenched his stomach, his head swimming. Ugh, maybe he...should eat something? 

...Oh damn it. Hissing, Kyo almost hit himself. He had damn chemo treatments today, he would have utterly no energy to walk home with Kairi after class. What the hell, you idiot...? 

His heart sank and he felt his eyes burn. He couldn't even walk his son home from school. What a useless father... 

Swallowing a lump in his throat, he shook his head. None of that, Kyo, none. You may be useless now, nothing but a parasite to his whole entire family, but you'd make it up to them when you get better. 

His body was hit by a wall of pain and for the briefest of moments he was unsure, figured for an instance that he was lying to himself. 

And that killed him inside. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Yagami Kairi stood by the door, shaky, as he glanced around. Where was he...? 

As fate had it, that jerk kid was beside him, waiting for his mother, and snorted, “I bet your dad died. He probably can't pick you up if he's dead, right?” 

Kairi shivered and wanted to cry. This stupid kid didn't know anything. His dad never lied. Never ever. He'd be here, he promised. And he'd show that stupid know-it-all. 

And his dad...he wouldn't... 

Die? 

...What was cancer? 

The kid stiffened beside him, he noted absently, before he looked up and his heart swelled with relief. His father wandered towards him rather slowly, looking paler than usual and a lot more gaunt. But he was smiling wearily despite this and Kairi was delighted. Rushing to him, he exclaimed, “Daddy!” 

Kyo held out his hand to him and he took it, wanting to go back and rub this in that idiot's face. Ha, his dad wasn't dead, stupid! Take that! He looked back at him to stick out his tongue but faltered. It wasn't the look of failure or admission or shame on his face, but of unabashed triumph, of secret glee that he knew something he didn't. Kairi didn't like it a bit and wanted to go knock him in the head. 

Ignoring it, knowing that whatever that kid's problem was, it didn't matter. He was wrong and Kairi knew it. He looked up to his dad, smiling brightly... 

But faltered once more. 

Yagami Kyo looked almost like a skeleton in some respects. Like his flesh was clinging unnaturally to the bone. His eyes were unnaturally large and the once nice fitting skull cap fit loosely around his bald skull. Kairi gaped at his hand, no softness, all...bone. And he was thin...too thin. He had no waist, no body, his clothes billowing around him like a cape. He was breathing like he couldn't stand anymore. 

“Kairi? Hey, what's wrong?” 

Kairi blinked. 

His macabre image of his father was replaced by what he'd left this morning. Someone who was thin but not 'meat on bone' thin, who was pale, but not ghostly so, who was bald, but not completely. His dad was gazing down at him weirdly and Kairi trembled as he didn't remember what happened but it all got murky. 

No...that kid was wrong. His dad wasn't dead... 

He was dying. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Both of my boys...” Yagami Gwen mumbled as she rested a cloth against her only son's forehead. 

She felt tired as she glowered behind her at where Kyo was lingering in the hallway, looking utterly concerned, holding Bethany. “Is...is he okay? Is it a fever? A cold? Maybe we need to get him to the hospital.” 

Gwen sighed. Kyo worried incessantly about their children's health now. Honestly, she had thought that was a motherly thing but she supposed when he got sick he worried about his babies too. And as he should but Gwen recognized a stress fever when she saw one. Maybe this school thing along with his father's illness was too much for the little guy, she thought as she tucked him in, kissing his forehead. “He's stressed out, baby, he just needs a little rest.” 

Kyo stared at her in disbelief, “'Stressed out'? My five-year-old son is stressed out and fainted as a result? That doesn't sound a little sketchy to you?” 

“He's not living under normal five-year-old circumstances, now is he?” she countered with a sigh, taking Bethany from him, “You need to rest, Kyo, Kairi will be fine. But you went through that horrible treatment and you're still on your feet.” 

Kyo sulked, trailing behind her, “I don't like that I went to get my son and he passes out right next to me! It was pretty much enough to shock the exhaustion out of me! I think we could at least ask Jilli to look at him!” 

Gwen turned and kissed him chastely on the lips to still his crazy tendencies, seeming to surprise him. She pulled away, whispering, “Kyo, our children are our children and they're fine.” 

He stared at her wearily for a moment before rubbing his face and he taking a deep breath, “You're...you're right. I'm overreacting.” 

“Like a good papa” she smiled, “I have mama's intuition though and he'd be in the doctor's office at this moment if I thought he needed to be.” 

“Mama's intuition” he chuckled, “Still strikes me as ironic.” 

She tapped him chidingly before snickering as Bethany kicked and whined, trying to get back to him, “Take your daughter, she hates me.” 

“She does not” Kyo scoffed, taking her much to her glee, nuzzling her tiny nose, “She just wuvvles on her papa, doesn't she? Oh wes she does!” 

Gwen smirked at him and he yawned, closing his eyes, “I do need a nap though, honey.” 

“Good! Go get one, I'll make some soup for my males” she sighed. 

Kyo shook his head, “None for me, thanks.” 

“Kyo!” 

“What! I ate earlier, I swear! When I was out with Jyun and Hoshiko before the treatments!” 

Gwen didn't look like she believed him one bit but he wasn't lying...he had a pretzel stick. She must have given up though and sighed, rolling her eyes. “Please eat something in front of me tomorrow. Please?” 

“Yes ma'am” he agreed with a pleased smile. 

Wandering up the steps though, his body once again quaked and he felt almost steamed. Just like his body was hot and achy. Ugh, whatever... 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Because it was over. 

Kyo felt something beyond triumph, beyond victory, beyond proud. 

He felt it was over. 

Gwen and the group seemed beside themselves with delight. The doctor had told him that he was finished, that the cancer had receded, that the chemotherapy was now complete. He would have cried with joy, with delight, when the doctors told him that it was over, that horrible hell that had put his life on hold, that had affected his family so dramatically, was done. 

But he felt like he was going to faint. 

Smiling wanly as his family sipped wine and seemed downright gleeful, he fought screaming in agony. He was in _pain_. Wasn't this supposed to be the end? Why did he feel this horrid? 

Pale and honestly wanting to just sleep for days, he leaned back in the chair, handing Bethany off to Hoshiko. His hands were shaking, he didn't want to drop his baby. 

What was this? he thought weakly. Why on Earth was he feeling worse than when he was in the middle of all these horrible 'treatments'? What...was happening? 

Kyo swallowed a lump in his throat, his body aching, shivering underneath the large hoodie he wore to secure the truth. He felt so...heavy. But Gwen sat down beside him and smiled, kissing his cheek, “Dear, you should have something to eat.” 

Eat indeed. His jaws couldn't fathom the movement. He just gave her a smile and his father sighed, drinking a beer, “While I wish it'd never happened, I'm happy it didn't turn into something horrible.” 

“Seriously” Jyun grunted, holding Bethany now who giggled, grasping his nose, “Maybe we can have a 'good' spell for once now?” 

Hoshiko smiled, “Yea! Kaori's doing better too, they want to try a visit in a few weeks.” 

“See? Awesome!” 

Kyo stared weakly at him, not sure why he found that idea that everything was going to go better so... 

...Wrong. 

Kairi scurried up to him and pressed his hands to his knees, staring up at him happily, “Daddy!” 

“Hey...” he said wearily, “What's up, little guy?” 

Kairi waved him to lean forward which almost sent Kyo teetering to the floor but he accomplished it somehow and Kairi whispered into his ear, “That stupid guy at school kept saying you were going to die, daddy, but you didn't.” 

Kyo gaped. What? What the hell? 

...Was _that_ why? Was that why his son had been acting so absolutely trippy since he started school? Some horrible little child was telling him that his father was going to die? He felt tiredly incensed. So help him, if he found that parent that was obviously feeding him that crap, he'd have some choice words for them. But then, why had Kairi acted like that still? Did he... 

Kyo frowned at him and whispered into his ear back, “Did you believe him?” 

Kairi shuffled his feet and shrugged, “Maybe...a little.” 

“...Kairi...” 

His cheeks turned red and he quickly scurried off before Kyo could say anymore. Ugh. Blood was rushing to his head and it felt like it was swelling. Damn it, why the hell...? Kyo's brow started to throb insanely and his perception of everything turned into a mottled mess. A fuzz of colors that was probably Jyun looked at him and in what sounded like a dull echo of his voice questioned: “Kyo, are you okay?” 

“Baby?” 

“Hey, Kyo!” 

All those distorted sounds around him faded as he fell face forward into the table before him. The last thought before thoughts became nothing was 'oh Kairi...daddy's sorry'. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Yagami Roomi cried. She couldn't stop, she couldn't think of anything else to make herself stop. Whenever she tried, it looped around to this and she burst into tears again. 

She'd tried to stay strong as Gwen was utterly beside herself, shrieking and in absolute hysterics. Luckily the kids had been left with Yagami Celia but Kairi had been inconsolable, almost insanely declaring that he'd killed his daddy. 

She choked on a sob and shook her head. No, no, he wasn't dead. He wasn't dead. 

Not yet. 

Shivering, she glared at her steely husband who just sat in the waiting room, his hand propped over his mouth as he stared into nothingness. Not a word, not a tear, nothing. He just gazed emptily like nothing was going on, like he was just daydreaming. But she supposed that was how men acted. Glancing to Nelly who was acting similarly, she shook her head. It was _okay_ to feel, idiots! Your brother, your son, he was... 

Roomi started to sob again. 

Nelly launched to his feet rather suddenly and started to pace, glancing towards the room where they were examining Kyo. Gwen looked up at him, shaking, in Kurt's arms. The man rapidly shook his head. “T-this doesn't make any _sense._ How can he be taken off of chemo and the cancer's receded and now he's in worse shape than before?! It's-it's crazy!” 

Koji, sitting in the spot beside Nelly's now vacant chair, shook his head, “I don't know, Nelly. It's strange how these illnesses are and I can't really give you any answers. I called dad and hoped he could come back in but they're trapped in Russia for at least another day.” 

Nelly inhaled sharply and clenched his head, “What...what is this? Why...? Why is this happening?” 

Hoshiko was curled up into Julius' side and the man bit his lip, “...I....don't know.” 

Roomi glared at her husband who still was mute during this and hissed, “Do you have anything you want to get off your chest, Jyun?” 

Jyun shook his head absently and she felt utterly frustrated, her eyes narrowing at him, “You're an emotional _disaster_ , as _usual_. Why can't you ever let yourself feel anything when it's appropriate?” 

That earned her a rather bitter scowl, “I'm not going to cry or bellow or whine about this. My brother will be fine. If I falter then I'm acknowledging something's wrong and I refuse, damn it, so leave me the hell alone.” 

“Something _is_ wrong! You carried him here, didn't you?! He was barely breathing!” 

“I'm done talking about it” snapped Jyun. 

Hoshiko looked at him, her eyes glassy with tears, “J-Jyun--” 

“ _Done_ ” he hissed firmly, turning away from them. 

Roomi was infuriated with her husband for that second and tempted to punch him. Why? Why be like this, damn him!? Nelly paused and had stared at Jyun rather blankly before sighing, slumping. “In his own twisted way, he's right. There's got to be a reasonable answer to all this. Perhaps the chemo has just exhausted him and he's caught something else. I've heard cancer is dually as horrible when paired with another illness.” 

Gwen's purple eyes looked horrified, “But what else can he have?!” 

“I hope it's something treatable. Something that doesn't require him to take multiple radiation treatments” Nelly uttered. 

Gwen frowned, “He...he hasn't been sleeping well. Maybe he is just suffering from exhaustion.” 

Calming enough, maybe, for the time being. But his doctor came out with another woman similar in demeanor to himself, looking completely indifferent. He was carrying a clipboard and suddenly shook his head. 

“His condition has worsened considerably. If I may.” 

They all felt their stomach knot as he led them into the room...Kyo was lying in bed, his breathing being facilitated and an IV running through his arm. Gwen whimpered and quickly rushed to his side. He'd completely lost his hair somewhere along, utterly bald, and his skin looked almost ghostly. His chest fell slowly and seemed to struggle force another breath. He seemed so... 

...Small. 

The doctor leaned against the wall, “Pretty soon, I'm afraid, his internal organs will shut down. He's already not able to breathe completely on his own, which is why he passed out in the first place, I'd assume.” 

Nelly gazed at his child, his...baby, helplessly, and gaped, “...Wh-what can be done?” 

“Nothing” the doctor said simply, “I really can't suggest any treatment to reverse the inevitable. We can keep him alive but he won't be living on his own.” 

...What? 

Roomi's hands flew to her mouth and she sobbed, her skin blanching, and Jyun looked pale for a second before becoming enraged. “Didn't you take him off chemotherapy today? Why the hell has my baby brother's condition so 'suddenly' taken a turn for the worse when you've been treating him all along?! He's not going to just suddenly stop living!” 

“It's the nature of the disease” the nurse said rather curtly, “You never truly know what will happen.” 

“That's a load of bullshit” hissed Jyun, gritting his teeth, “You haven't been doing your fucking job, that's the problem! If something was wrong with my brother, you should have found it earlier!”   
  


“Jyun” Roomi rasped, pressing her hands against his chest as it looked like he was ready to throttle someone. 

The doctor looked infuriatingly undisturbed, “I stand by it was sudden. The human life is a fickle thing.” 

Hoshiko suddenly sobbed out and slipped to her knees. Julius bit his lip and dropped beside her, pulling her against him. Jyun's face was red with either rage or horror...or both. But the doctor held up a hand. “I would suggest taking him off life support. His condition is shockingly terminal and I wouldn't see him living through the week.” 

It was like a huge slap in the face to everyone in the room and Jyun bit his fist, seething, “You-you wouldn't _dare_. If you _dare_ take him off of anything, I'll kill you. I swear to _God_ , I'll kill you!” 

“Of course, I can't make such a decision. It'd be up to the one in his will” the doctor said simply. 

This actually confused everyone for a moment. His will? Did Kyo have a will...? The nurse flipped a page and looked to Nelly who'd silently backed into a corner. “According to this, you're in charge of that decision.” 

... _What_? 

Nelly's jaw nearly hit the ground, feeling absolutely selfish for that second when he declared: “W-what about his wife?” 

Gwen wiped her eyes, looking to him numbly, “I think he had it written before we were married. We never discussed it...” 

Nelly clenched his forehead. What? No. What? No! 

Kyo was his _son_ , his _child_ his seed! How the hell was _he_ supposed to decide whether he lived or died?! Something that he _brought_ to life! He... 

“Dad! There's nothing to consider!” Jyun snapped, “Kyo _just_ got sick today and they're ready to give up on him just like that!” 

The doctor countered, “And we've examined him and come to the conclusion there's nothing left to do.” 

“You know what you can do with those 'conclusions'?” Jyun snarled furiously, starting at him. 

Roomi held his waist and the doctor finally looked annoyed, “You all need to see outside of yourselves. He is suffering. We had to put him on morphine to help him rest comfortably but what, hmm? You want him on morphine his whole life? In a bed hooked up to a bunch of machines just so he can eat? What kind of 'life' is that?” 

Jyun flinched back and looked almost appalled. He pursed his lips and looked to his father as everyone else did, trembling, “...Well, dad?” 

Koji, gaping, glanced at his twin who looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him away to some better place before scowling, “You guys can't expect your father to make a decision like this in a matter of minutes.” 

“Time is of the essence” the nurse said simply. 

“And you can go to hell” Koji snorted acerbically before turning to his brother. Nelly was shaking and pressed his lips tightly together, staring at the floor...before suddenly turning on his heel and running from the room. Jyun grimaced and started after him. “Dad!” 

But he had already booked it out of the hospital. Jyun stared after his shadow and felt his eyes sting a little. They couldn't... 

They couldn't take his brother. He'd destroy anyone that tried... 

Even if that meant his father too. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _Elli!!”_

_The woman was by the fire, fixing Hoshiko's little uniform, when she looked up. Her face instantly registered horror as she flew to her feet._

_He'd rushed in, completely wet, holding a soaking wet Jyun in one arm and a drenched Kyo in the other. Both were unconscious and he was shivering madly, his eyes wide with horror. Elli screamed, rushing to him, demanding what had happened._

_His sons were idiots, that was what. Or at least Kyo was. He'd walked on the icy pond, thinking it would support him but his hypothesis was instantly proven wrong. Like the diligent older brother Jyun was, he dove in after his brother though a little prematurely. Apparently he didn't seem to realize how frigid the water was. Nelly had ended up jumping in and fishing them both out, trekking down the mountain to the farmhouse. Elli would murder him._

_She set to work, like a mother, like a nurse, and had them both tucked warmly in bed in no time. They were back up and normal within a day. He had a chill after and she had him up in a day rather magically._

_Their children never got sick in their care, under their scrutiny. Never. But when Jyun passed out from exhaustion, had pneumonia, Nelly was shocked. When Kyo came to him saying he got cancer, of course he'd been floored. Now...now his son was dying._

_None of this happened until their mother left their lives._

Tomoe Elli watched desperately as the nurses took Matthias away. What kind of insanity was this? 

She smiled at her son regardless as he waved at her cutely. Never had she any idea that in this society, this elite, that they didn't raise their child. She had 'playtimes' with him that were scheduled down to the minute until he was handed off to his practical 'mothers'. She could raise her own son. What was this? 

It'd been four years though. She couldn't complain to her husband, he didn't care a bit. It was how he'd been raised, he'd answer as if it mattered. What a way to be raised, she thought numbly. It was these times that she missed... 

...Stop it, Elli. You'd let that life go for a reason. It was too late now. 

She let out a breath and wondered if her letter ever got to Nelly. Most likely not with as controlling as Gill was with her mail. She'd written a detailed apology to him for her outburst, explaining it away to the hormones. Smiling wistfully, she wished that was the truth. 

“Tomoe-san?” 

Looking up, Elli frowned as a butler looked at her dryly, “One 'Yagami Nerimaru' has arrived, unexpectedly, requesting an audience with you.” 

Gill, sitting by the fire reading stock reports, looked irritated, “What does _he_ want?” 

“I...I don't know” she answered, surprised. 

“What should I tell him?” the butler asked, looking more towards Gill. 

“We have no business with him, tell him to go” Gill snorted. 

Elli wheeled, startled, “B-but Gill, I'm sure it has to be important for him to come by. He doesn't make visits for no good reason!” 

He looked up at her, his blue eyes narrowing a bit before shrugging, “Do as you like.” 

Relieved, though a tad miffed, she nodded at the butler and the man retreated back to the door. Elli kneaded her hands. What was this about? After their last few meetings, she was certain he'd never want to speak with her again... 

She jumped when he started into the room, looking completely disheveled, his eyes widened with almost madness and shaking. It was cold outside but all he had on was a thin shirt, his cheeks were red and he was practically wheezing. What on Earth...? 

“...Nelly? What's the--” 

“P-please...” he whispered, his voice so weak, “Please help me.” 

Elli gaped at him, puzzled, “With what? Nelly, what's the matter?” 

“I-I can't make this decision on my own, I can't. I need you” he choked, “Please, you have to come, you have to tell me if there's no hope. You-you could fix anything. I was-I was useless in comparison. Please, if you tell me there's no hope then I know it's the truth!” 

She gawked. What? What was he talking about? That almost sounded trustful. How could he trust her again? 

Elli glanced back to her husband who looked completely bored with all this. Glancing to her former husband, she found him close to tears. She couldn't handle that. Biting her lip, she nodded and turned to Gill. “I promise, I'll be back soon.” 

“You think it's a good idea for you to run off with your ex-husband, Elli?” he said rather darkly. 

“It's an emergency, Gill. I...I swear I'll be back” she responded shakily. 

He glared at Nelly before shrugging, “Do what you want.” 

Relieved again, she nodded at Nelly to lead the way to whatever this was. He looked no more comforted by this and rushed through the corridor, only stopping to allow her to put on her shoes and coat. Her bodyguard insisted they take the car and they rode in stunted silence. Nelly was leaning forward, his hands draped between his knees and his head bowed. Elli bit her lip. 

She wasn't liking this. 

Reaching out, she paused and realized that...she couldn't. She couldn't comfort him, not any more. Steeling up, she sat back and awaited whatever this was patiently. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

“Is this normal behavior? Running off like this?” demanded the doctor. 

Everyone in the room sent him a numbed glare and he just rolled his eyes. Gwen stroked her husband's sullen cheek and smiled sadly, emotionally, whispering, “It still gets me, Kyo, how when we first met, I had no intentions of...of any of this. I had no intentions of growing, of having a family, of letting anyone in but you changed that all for me. You...you made me realize that we can be a family. That it's not just a woman or man thing but...but just...us.” 

She trembled and rested her forehead against his cool one, rasping, “T-that's why you can't go, okay? I'd move on, I'd support our children, I'd never let our babies forget you. But you have to realize you're a part of me now and I-I won't let them take you. I love you. Remember how hard it was for me to say that? It's not so hard anymore because of you...because I needed you for me to mean it...” 

Closing her eyes, she mumbled, “Let your father make the best decision.” 

“Dad?” Jyun said in a completely incredulous tone, laden with absolute disbelief. 

Gwen looked up slowly and her eyes widened, gawking, raising to her feet out of shock. Beside Nelly was... 

Elli. 

The woman's brown eyes were wide, her lips slightly parted as she froze in the doorway. Staring at the being in the bed as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing, Nelly slumped into the corner. 

“Whatever she says is my will. I'll accept whatever her diagnosis is.” 

“ _What_?” Hoshiko and Jyun demanded loudly. 

Koji stared at his brother like he thought he'd lost his mind and Nelly bit his lip, closing his eyes, “It's my decision.” 

“Dad, you can't be serious!” Jyun snapped. 

The doctor looked exasperated and glanced at the woman absently, “I've determined his condition is completely irreversible. The best course of the action is to take him off life support before it gets too excessive.” 

Elli hadn't moved but finally walked towards the bed and sat on the edge. The doctor ranted on as she slowly pressed her hand to his cheek. Her lips still agape, she gazed down at his unwavering face and finally they pursed. 

“I think--” the doctor continued. 

“Where is his chart?” Elli interrupted. 

The doctor looked startled and scowled, “I don't think that's necessary.” 

“I think it is” she said curtly, standing up straight and repeating, “Where is his chart? 

The man looked irked and the nurse suddenly scowled before practically throwing the chart at Elli. Her eyes narrowed and she flipped up the front page, muttering, “May I ask why Kyo is not in a Mineral hospital?” 

This caused a grimace throughout. It really had been a question amongst all of them. This guy didn't give a rat's ass about anything. Gwen mumbled, “He kept the cancer from us for months and I believe this is the hospital that the university has their teachers use...” 

Elli's eyes briefly glanced towards her, bewildered, before returning to the chart and going silent for some long moments. Setting the chart down, she sat again on the bed and took the stethoscope from the wall, pressing it to Kyo's heart. 

“Doctor...Kanno?” 

The man glowered, “...Yes?” 

“Kyo is 43-years-old” she stated rather absently, “And yet your charts only go back seven years. Wouldn't you want to look back on his previous health records?” 

The doctor looked haughty, “His cancer was spreading, I had no time for such things!” 

Elli replaced the stethoscope and got the flashlight, opening one of Kyo's eyes to check which looked rather dull and disturbing. She let his lid close and did what seemed like a really normal preliminary check up. Finally, she put the light back and picked the chart back up. “The nurse that was working with you before, she was moved to another case?” 

“Yes...?” 

“May I speak with her?” 

The doctor looked extremely annoyed but signaled to the equally irritated nurse to call the previous one. Jyun cocked a brow at Elli as the woman hugged her arms, staring down at Kyo almost emotionless now. He didn't like that a bit. 

But the young nurse entered, looking confused, before seeming surprised momentarily when she saw Kyo, blanching. Elli smiled a little at her, “Hello. You worked with Kyo before?” 

“Oh, um, yes. Oh God...” she rasped. 

Elli flipped through his chart again and tilted her head, “So tell me: why did you keep such detailed notes about his weight?” 

The woman opened her mouth but the doctor quickly interjected, “All of this is ridiculous and taking up time!” 

Everyone's head snapped to him and Elli's eyes narrowed, “No, _doctor_ , it's not.” 

The nurse frowned and shook her head, “It's standard protocol but also I noticed he was losing weight as he took the chemotherapy which is normal. But then it leveled out so I thought he'd be alright. I left the weight notes for the new nurse to maintain and explained it to her, but...” 

The current nurse glared at the woman heatedly and Elli questioned more, “And from when you were taken off the case, would you say he's much smaller?” 

“Oh, extremely” she blurted, “I-I mean, he had only lost about ten to fifteen pounds from when he first came in by the time I left. Now he looks at least half that size.” 

The doctor gritted his teeth and Elli smiled, “Thank you, that's all I needed to hear.” 

Elli turned around and set the chart down, glancing at Nelly who was staring at her, confused. She looked away swiftly after a moment and cleared her throat, “Well, this is my answer.” 

Everyone froze and she looked rather dismal, rather dulled. Jyun gritted his teeth. He sure as hell wasn't letting her decide anything to do with them, damn it! She disowned them, she wanted nothing to do with them! What was going through his dad's head? 

Gwen watched, pale, and whispered, “...So?” 

Elli looked up, her eyes unreadable and looked at the doctor. “You will absolutely _not_ take my son off life support. He's nowhere near dying and you are the most incompetent doctor I have ever met. I could stab you for neglecting my son.” 

...Everyone was shocked. 

The doctor blanched before gritting his teeth, “How d--” 

“If you'd taken the _minute_ it takes to pull up past hospital records, 'doctor', you'd know that Kyo suffers from a hormone unbalance that makes his metabolism about three times that of the normal adult” Elli countered briskly, “That means that his body requires more nutrients, more vitamins, and more food intake. From what I can tell you didn't even try to put him on any kind of vitamin treatment to replace all the nutrients that your damned chemo treatments were sucking out of his body.” 

The man gaped and Elli scowled, “There are at least _five_ other treatments that an _intern_ would subscribe before chemotherapy in Kyo's case but I suppose that's over anyway. Nonetheless, if you had spent the _second_ it takes to pull up past hospital records, you would also know that I myself wrote that Kyo will neglect eating if he's continually vomiting. Correct, Nelly?” 

Nelly stiffened briefly, completely flabbergasted about this for some reason, before he recalled, “...Yea, we...when he got stomach bugs and stuff we'd actually have to coax him into eating because he thought he'd just throw up again. Something about bad acid reflux or something...? Which you said was a possible reason why his body doesn't let him drink a lot and actually usually shuts him down after one drink...” 

Jyun's eyes widened at him and Elli nodded curtly, “And your decision to use chemotherapy probably had Kyo throwing up anything he even tried to eat, another reason why chemo is the very last treatment that should've been prescribed to my son. His body needs more energy and you were preventing him from keeping down the source. Now he's in this advanced state of exhaustion and you just want to make it look like he's still dying from cancer..” 

The two doctors looked mortified as Elli glared, “I won't claim that you're rushing them to make a decision to hide your negligence but dying? Hardly. My son is starving and all you need to do is get him on a feeding machine. And some actual light foods for him to ingest? He'll be on his feet in a few weeks.” 

Doctor Kanno and his nurse turned bright red and Elli reached into her pocket, pulling out her cell phone before turning to Gwen, “If it's okay with you, I want him transferred to Mineral before we look into getting him back to his normal weight.” 

Gwen stared at her before bursting into tears, “I-I tried to convince him to eat! He-he wouldn't even listen! I had no idea it was doing this to him!” 

Elli frowned, “I'm sure there wasn't much you could do if you didn't know. Kyo's always been hardheaded.” 

Jyun and Hoshiko stared at their brother before Hoshiko swallowed, “I...I noticed but I...he always...told us that he'd eat later...” 

Elli shook her head and pressed her phone to her ear, “Hi, Asaru? Yes, it's Elli. Can you get a suite for me? I have a serious case that needs to be taken care of. Yes, thank you. And an ambulance transport.” 

Everyone stared as she pulled strings and within an hour, Kyo was indeed at Mineral hospital in a large nice quiet room. He hadn't stirred during any of this. They all sat in the room quietly. Elli had left about an hour ago, walking up to Nelly and demanding the keys to the farmhouse. He'd complied confusedly and she'd disappeared without any more. 

Jyun looked weary, staring at Kyo, already hooked up to a feeding tube... “...Is it really going to be as easy as she says? I mean, I'm...thankful that she set all this straight but at the same time...” 

Hoshiko glanced to Nelly who was sitting in a chair, his eyes empty, “Papa...why did you go to mama?” 

“...She never let you guys get sick” he whispered, “Never. She...she was always able to fix everything. I...I'm no good at that.” 

“Papa...” 

Roomi looked unconvinced, glancing at Kyo before muttering, “...He's sick. Maybe that doctor was an ass but...but look at him. Just...feeding him will fix him?” 

Jyun grimaced and his brows raised, “Honestly, it sounds farfetched...but then considering my brother, it doesn't.” 

Roomi opened her mouth to say something else but Elli entered, holding a large tupperware container of yellow broth. She had a little bowl, a small teaspoon, and a ceramic ladle. Setting it down silently on a little table, she scooped three ladlefuls of the soup into the bowl. “The kitchen is atrocious, Nerimaru.” 

Nelly scowled and Elli sat by Kyo's side before reaching out and stroking his bald skull, “Kyo? Can you hear me?” 

He didn't even flinch but she tried again, “Kyo, I need you to wake up for just a second, okay? I'm hoping they've given you enough nutrient treatments that you can stay awake for a few moments.” 

Gwen inhaled sharply and everyone actually kind of started to jump in surprise when his heavy darkened lids opened. Jyun gaped and whispered faintly, feather-like, “Itoto...” 

Kyo looked like he was a million other places except there and he closed his eyes again but reopened them. He seemed more conscious the second time around and gazed up for a moment before glancing towards Elli. He stared at her weakly but was wordless. He was probably too weak to say anything. Elli didn't seem to mind, looking at him calmly. “Kyo, listen to me, okay? You have a slight case of pneumonia and something akin to severe anemia. But you're going to be fine, alright?” 

He just stared and she continued, “But in order for you to get better, you have to eat, okay? I promise you that you're not going to throw up.” 

Shocking all of them, Kyo actually shook his head lethargically to the negative. Gwen screamed, completely miffed, “Kyo! Damn it, you have to eat!” 

Jyun grabbed her shoulders and Hoshiko shivered, sobbing, “Please, onii-san. _Everything_ will be okay. You just have to eat...” 

It was troubling though that even in his exhaustion he seemed so adamant. Nelly glanced at Koji who looked back and tilted his head towards them. Nelly grimaced and wandered over, sitting next to Elli, loathing his life for a moment. But staring down at his absurdly frail looking child, he hated himself for even thinking that and it came to pass. He stroked Kyo's forehead and swallowed as a few tears welled in his eyes. It didn't have to even begin to get to this. Elli was _right_. Why hadn't he thought about it? Why hadn't he been paying attention to other factors? He knew Kyo's tendencies and they never occurred to him for a second. He'd...he'd failed him. 

“...Kyo, listen to me. This is not up for discussion, you hear me?” he said firmly, “I know it feels like you'll be sick, I know throwing up was irritating, I know you probably didn't have an appetite but this is that _last_ bump you need to overcome, son. The last one and your life will be back to normal. Just...just have a little broth, okay?” 

Kyo looked dubious at best and Gwen shivered, “Please Kyo...” 

“Your wife needs you to” Nelly insisted, “And your kids.” 

Elli shot him a quick look before smiling at Kyo reassuringly, “It won't hurt your stomach, I promise. It's just like the soup I made you back when you got sick as a child. If you throw up, I swear, I won't make you eat anything you don't want to, okay?” 

Nelly sent her a nervous expression but she seemed sure. Kyo considered this tiredly and finally slowly parted his lips shakily. Elli scooped up a small spoonful, blowing it, and gingerly pushed it towards his mouth. He allowed the spoon into his mouth and reluctantly swallowed. 

Elli withdrew the spoon. Nelly pressed his lips together. C'mon Kyo, you have too much to live for. 

After some minutes, Elli continued to wait hopefully despite it seeming like Kyo would reject any more. Jyun looked shaky and Hoshiko cried. Gwen turned away, shivering...but suddenly Kyo whimpered. He weakly with his bony hand grabbed his mother's hand and rasped. 

“...M-mo-more...” 

Their hearts all skipped a beat and Elli fed him spoonfuls slowly. He finished at ease. A smile shivered to Jyun's lips as Kyo, in what effectively could be identified as 'normal', asked for seconds. Surprisingly, Elli refused. 

Roomi glared, “I'm sorry, but didn't you just say that he needs to eat and now we're going to starve him?” 

Elli soothed Kyo's obvious displeasure with this, stroking his brow, and responded, “He can't go from eating little to nothing to eating heartily in one sitting, especially with him as unbalanced as he is. We're going to have to gradually ease him back into his normal eating habits and eventually he should be right as rain.” 

Standing, glancing at the clock, she gave Gwen a firm look as the woman looked beside herself with emotion. “Three ladlefuls. That's it. No more, no less. Every three hours. You have to stay strong even if he pleads for more. We don't want him to get sick or we'll be back at square one.” 

The blonde woman pursed her lips and nodded rapidly. Elli nodded once and headed for the door, “I'll bring him soup tomorrow as well.” 

They all were silent as she smoothed her skirt, starting to leave but said simply, “Nelly, a moment, please?” 

Nelly glanced at her and nodded shortly, stuffing his hands into his pockets and following after her. Jyun watched after them and slowly went over to his brother who was sleeping well, his pulse already improving. Reaching out, he touched him and his heart broke. He hadn't needed to be on that horrible chemo. He hadn't had to watch his brother look like every time they nailed him with more radiation he was close to death. He hadn't had to watch his brother waste away. They...they really didn't know anything. She came in like Superwoman though and everything was already repairing itself. Why? Why with some woman that disowned them? Hated them? Broke their father's heart? Why was she necessary...? 

“...Maybe we need her more than I thought” he whispered, a tear finally rolling down his cheek. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Nelly wasn't shocked when Elli slapped him clean across the face. In fact, he'd come to expect it and did nothing to stop her. 

The shorter woman was enraged. Rightfully so, he thought absently as he slowly brought his face back to look at her. Her face was red with rage, her teeth clenched together so tightly, tears rolling down her face. She'd held it all in back there... 

“How dare you? How fucking dare you?!” she snapped. 

He winced, pretty sure she'd never used profanity like that ever. “I--” 

“You shut the hell up and listen to me, Nerimaru Daisuke Yagami!” she exclaimed furiously, pushing him back against the wall, “You have every right to hate me. You and the kids and-and everyone in your family would be foolish not to hate me but when it comes to _them_? To my babies? To Jyun, to Hoshiko, to Kyo, you bastard, you _tell_ me if _anything_ is wrong with them!!” 

Nelly stared at her as she wailed, beating at his chest, “How _dare_ you keep the fact he had cancer from me?! What would you think if I kept something like that from you under any circumstances?! You bastard!!” 

Stopping her onslaught, she trembled and shook, taking a deep broken breath and sobbed, wiping at her wet eyes. Nelly looked away and mumbled a miserable apology... 

She sniffed and inhaled sharply, stalking off, the guard awkwardly following. Nelly leaned backwards against the wall and finally the weight came down on him. 

...He almost lost his son. His son could have died. 

The sheer gravity of that statement caused Nelly to shake, to nearly vomit, to realize that if he'd been a bitter person, hadn't realized he needed their mother to decide his fate, he would have made a horrible mistake and lived with it for the rest of his life. Covering his mouth with the back of his hand, tears rolling down his cheeks, he rasped. 

“Elli.” 

She stopped but didn't turn to face him. She didn't have to. 

“Thank you for...saving...him” he got out brokenly. 

Looking over her shoulder, she nodded once before continuing out of the building as he sank to the floor, his back sliding down the wall and he cried like he never had before. God, if you are really up there, don't ever...ever put him through that again. 

Don't make him have to decide. 


	29. Lesson Twenty-Seven

“Dada!” 

“Ah!! My baby's talking!” 

Yagami Gwen smiled some as Kyo picked up Bethany, kissing her rapidly, “Yes-s-s-s, dada! Can you say 'mama'?” 

Bethany wasn't for it and waved, hugging Kyo's neck, as Gwen snickered, “No, I told you she doesn't like me.” 

“Aww, Bethy, be nice to your mama” Kyo pouted, bouncing the baby on his lap. 

Kissing the baby again, sighing, he glanced out the window at the sun. He'd been sitting in this hospital room for three weeks. Three! He was losing his mind... 

...But he guessed he should be glad he had a mind to lose. 

He was still extremely exhausted but otherwise he was alive. He was living. 

And he had his mother to thank for it. 

He really wished he knew what led to that course of events but his brother, sister, or anyone didn't seem to believe it was important. No, no, it wasn't important, his mother just randomly was nursing him back to health after kind of being banished from the family. Not important at all. 

Sleepiness washed over him and he grabbed Gwen's hand, pulling her to sit. She blinked at him and he stared up at her sadly, “...I'm sorry, baby.” 

Her face registered anger and she pulled away, “Let's not talk about it.” 

“Hey, c'mon...” he said weakly, “I...I didn't think...I guess I didn't think.” 

She pursed her lips and shook her head, “You didn't think that you needed to eat? To keep up your strength? That-that no matter what, you needed to do that?” 

Kyo bowed his head and she laughed bitterly, “You don't even know how horribly close. Just-- ugh!” 

He reached out and grasped her wrist, “...I won't leave. I promise that. I'm...I'm better, can't you see?” 

Reaching up, he stroked his peach fuzz, “See? I even have hair coming in already! It's amazing.” 

Gwen shook her head and he grimaced, pulling her down against his chest, “Gwen...” 

“You're so small...” she mumbled against his hospital gown, “And you were wasting away in front of me and I didn't even notice. And I-I even humored you...” 

Kyo winced once more and hugged her tightly, “It's not your fault, Gwen, you're practically raising the kids on your own. I-I should have been able to at least take care of myself...” 

He gazed at the ceiling, tears welling in his eyes, “...Kairi hasn't come.” 

Gwen grimaced herself at that and stroked Bethany's hair as she contently mewed, pressed against Kyo's chest as well, “He...um....” 

“Doesn't want to” Kyo finished with a wistful smile, “...I understand.” 

Glancing towards the cloud, he murmured, “He told me completely what's wrong, y'know? When I passed out, when he was whispering to me...” 

Gwen looked at him curiously, “I was wondering about that. What did he say?” 

“He said...he said that the kid that was bullying him said I was going to die” Kyo smiled shakily, upset, “Some stupid kid was telling my son I was going to die.” 

Gwen shot up, “ _What_ ” 

“I guess a neighborhood kid that might have seen me” he rasped before he laughed humorlessly, “He told me so...proud, that I'd proven that kid wrong. But then he admitted he had believed him a little and that-that killed me a little, forgive the 'pun'.” 

His wife sighed miserably, “No wonder he freaked like that after you fainted and why he won't come see you now. Ugh! Kids are so horrible now! My poor sweetie...” 

Kyo nodded glumly and suddenly his lids felt heavy, “...I don't want to sleep anymore. I just want to stay awake long enough to appreciate...living. And I want to talk to my son and tell him that I'm really not going anywhere...” 

Gwen softly stroked his cheek, kissing his lips warmly, “Soon.” 

“Soon” he smiled faintly in response, “I love you.” 

“I love you too” she echoed faintly, once again relieved that she could still tell that to a living being. 

Bethany screamed when she tried to pick her up and kicked, “Dada!” 

Gwen hushed her but Kyo chuckled softly, opening his eyes partially and puckering his lips, “Be a good girl for mama, baby girl. Daddy will be right here and can't wait to see you again.” 

Bethany kissed him and Gwen sighed but smiled as Bethany allowed her to carry her away. Three weeks. Elli had seemed perturbed that it'd taken longer than she expected. But she didn't seem to realize that they were thankful he was getting better at all. 

Wiping her eyes as a happy tear rolled down her face, she hated herself. That woman had made her husband and family hurt for so long and yet...yet she was responsible for keeping the man she loved alive. It...it was hard to hate her much now. 

...And it seemed a little weird but Kyo's father seemed to be having trouble doing so as well. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Nelly sliced a tomato slowly as he glanced at his twin, sitting on the other side of the counter, staring at him with his chin in his palm and his elbow relaxed on the surface. Looking up at him, his eyes narrowed, he grunted, “I know you too, bitch. What's on your mind?” 

“Oh nothing. Just wondering why my baby twin is falling in love with his ex-wife again.” 

Nelly grunted, putting the veggie on a plate, “Wonder no more because he isn't.” 

Koji of course seemed skeptical at best before shrugging, “If you say so. You're looking a little rough around the edges though.” 

“I've been sleeping like an hour a day and I haven't shaved in a while” he admitted, rubbing the rough stubble on his face as he cut a cucumber, “Kyo's been starving and...vegetables shouldn't upset his stomach, right?” 

“As painful as it is for me to admit, I think Elli really knows best on that. I have no idea” Koji sighed, shaking his head, “I mean, it's amazing how fickle the body is...” 

“It's amazing how hungry my son is” Nelly snorted, putting some carrots on the plate before putting some plastic wrap on the plate. Finally relaxing, he looked to Koji with a scowl, “But really, why would you think something like that?” 

Koji drank some juice and shrugged himself, “You look at her like you used to. I mean, yea, she saved your kid's life but it still seems a little off to me.” 

Nelly winced at that... “Maybe. I'm still not falling in love with her though.” 

Picking up the plate, he started to walk towards the door, Koji following him, “Well, I guess that's okay then. Pretty soon you won't see her anymore though.” 

That kind of made Nelly's heart tug...and God did he hate that. Parting with Koji, he arrived at the hospital. Frowning, he stared at his son who was sleeping and slowly set the salad tray on the table beside him. He must not have been heavily asleep as his eyes opened almost immediately. He glanced at his father before a delighted look crossed his face. 

“Ah! Your vegetables! Awesome!” 

Nelly smiled in response and Kyo ate slowly and deliberately. A good thing, really. While Nelly knew his son would be scarfing down his food like a mad man in no time, it just proved that he really had learned something from all this... 

He blinked when a nurse walked in, smiling, “Hi! I'm going to take you for that scan and check-up right now, if that's okay?” 

Kyo looked like he didn't like that idea at all but nodded. Nelly followed, grimacing as they came before a cancer screening room of some sort. They just wanted to be sure, he knew, after that horrible and downright negligent treatment he received at the other hospital but it still scared the hell out of him. He pleaded to anything that was listening that his kids and grandkids remain healthy for the rest of eternity. 

It felt like hours but might have only been one while Nelly was waiting. The doctor stepped out, stripping his hands of his gloves and nodded at Nelly. “He's good.” 

Relieved beyond belief, Nelly released his breath, not aware he'd been holding it, “So he's...really okay?” 

“So it seems. I want to watch for recurrences but I'd say your son is going to be just fine. I bet we can even release him in the next four days.” 

He felt excited, a weird feeling after all that happened but he couldn't stand seeing his son in this place, “That's excellent news!” 

The doctor smiled and nodded, glancing over his shoulder as Kyo was wheeled out, “I'll share it with him when he wakes up.” 

Nelly nodded and followed them as they wheeled Kyo back to his room. Walking over to his son after the attendants left, he stroked his hair and smiled warmly, a tear rolling down his cheek. 

“You little idiot. You almost put me in the grave with all this...” he rasped before leaning over and kissing his forehead, “...But I love you...and-and...you did exactly as you said and beat this. I'm proud of you.” 

It probably would have had more meaning if the boy was awake but he figured he'd clam up and say the complete opposite if he was. He suppose his emotions were a tad twisted... 

“Is he awake?” 

Speaking of twisted emotions. 

Looking over his shoulder as his ex-wife entered, holding what looked like pasta in a tupperware container, he shook his head, “They just examined him for remnants of cancer and the likes.” 

She walked into the room and set the container on the table before going for the usual stethoscope and tools, apparently not satisfied until _she_ gave him a clean bill of health. “What did they say?” 

“He's clean” Nelly said, not able to hide the pride in his voice. 

Elli pressed the scope against his heart and nodded, “...Good.” 

Somehow that seemed a little...under appreciative. And it kind of angered him. “Good? Our son is pretty much all better after that little stunt and it's just 'good', huh?” 

Elli went silent and he growled. After their little 'talk', she'd completely refused to really...look at him. He looked at her, which is where Koji got the idea he was still in love with her... 

But 'good'. Bull. He stalked over and she stood up straight, leering at him, “What?” 

“I wanna know what's the problem” he grunted, “Yea, you hate me for not telling you but that doesn't mean we both can't be appreciative that our child is better!” 

“Our child” she laughed humorlessly, “Funny, the last few times we've talked before all this, they've been _yours_ now, haven't they?” 

Nelly growled, annoyed, “Yea, they're _mine_. I never told the world I didn't have any kids, now did I?” 

Elli sucked her cheek and tapped her toe, “Don't you...know me? Don't you know that I love all of my children and that there may be some reason you don't know that I would do such a thing?” 

That struck him for some reason...it hurt too. Staring at her, probably with a weird expression, he remarked, “No, I really _don't_ know you, Elli. It seems I had married a complete stranger.” 

“That's a little harsh, don't you think?” she scowled. 

He snorted indelicately, “Hardly.” 

Shifting away to go stand by the window to clear his thoughts, Elli followed, “I am the same woman I have always been!” 

“Perhaps” he relented before adding briskly, “Of course that just means the woman I married was someone that would cheat on me, deny my kids, and have more children with another man.” 

“What does _that_ have to do with anything?” she demanded, “I have a new husband and I have every right to start a new family with him!” 

This conversation was making him resent life again. It slipped from his lips kind of unexpectedly: 

“Why did you stop loving me?” 

It definitely caught her off guard as well as she flinched back, her brown eyes wide and her mouth agape. “W-what?” 

“Forget it” he quickly interjected, “It doesn't even matter, it wouldn't do me any good to know, just forget I ever asked. I should get going.” 

But damn it, she cut off his path, glaring, “Nelly--” 

“Elli, GOD, seriously, I have no desire to know, okay? None! It was a stupid question” he snarled, trying to get around her. 

“You wouldn't have ASKED then!” 

Nelly opened his mouth to refute but once again found himself staring down at someone that used to be a key part of his life...and was now missing from it. Gritting his teeth, his emotions taking over his words, he snapped, “It's 'cause he's rich, right? Has a huge mansion and goes to have tea and crisps and plays golf with his buddies and has rich fancy parties all the damn time, that's what you wanted from life!” 

“Don't make me sound so shallow!” she huffed, completely indignant. 

“Did he threaten your life? Tell you if you don't marry him he'd kill your whole family?” he snorted sarcastically. 

“That's ridiculous!”   
  


“Oh-h-h” he suddenly droned acerbically, “So if he wasn't blackmailing you and you don't have any desires to live in the lap of stupid luxury, it must be he's a good f—ker, right? Then again, I can't see him having an impressive pecker.” 

She almost slapped him but he wouldn't let her this time, grabbing her wrist before it made contact. Elli was practically seething and he honestly felt a little aroused. He never got her all worked up like this before. He smirked darkly and shoved her hand away, “I don't think you even know why you broke up with me, Elli. I'm going to guess just flat boredom. Or I don't know, maybe pretty boy IS hung like a horse. I don't know but I do know that the woman I _thought_ I married would at least have the common decency to end a three decade relationship before she went screwing another guy but like I said, you were obviously a stranger.” 

“I NEVER 'screwed' Gill!” she exclaimed, absolutely offended. 

Nelly rolled his eyes, “Yea, okay. You were just 'seeing' him. Right.” 

“I'm not even that attracted to--” she started before stopping short, gawking at her admittance. 

He cocked a brow, now very confused before anger hit him again. “So you cheated with and married a guy you're not even attracted to? Is that how that works? I was so awful you'd go pick the first guy you meet and you don't even feel attraction towards him?” 

“That's not it!” she protested, exasperated. 

He rubbed his throbbing temple, “You know what, we've played this long enough. I don't give a damn. I'm glad we had this conversation because I can see you're not only a stranger to me, you're a CRAZY stranger. F--k, it feels like I've been used or something. You weren't attracted to me either, were ya'? Well, eff that. I don't even want to THINK about you anymore and I'm almost willing to give up all my crazed commitments to spending the rest of my life alone, you've just pissed me the hell off!” 

Elli scowled though seemed perplexed, “Why would you swear that off?” 

“Oh, I don't know, just somebody declaring 'get away from my husband' in the middle of a party and the fact that someone I trusted entirely tap danced all over me” he laughed icily. 

She bit her lip. “N-Nelly, about the party, I'm sorry, I--” 

“I don't want to hear it. I haven't heard from that girl in four years, it's of no consequence now” he uttered. 

He was pretty sure a blood vessel in his skull popped and bled into his vision because he saw red when she looked _relieved_. “Oh? That makes you happy? I've been alone and unhappy for pretty much ten years now? It's delightful that I'm afraid to let anyone in because of what you did to me? You're a f—king bitch!” 

“Damn it, Nelly, did I SAY that?!” she snapped back. 

“You don't HAVE to, I can SEE” he countered, irate, before his jaw clenched, his heart aching, “You'd rather me be alone and unhappy for eternity. I didn't fight or anything because I loved you enough that I did think I did something wrong, that you loved that other bastard. But you...you'd actually be happy that I'm lonely and depressed and the only thing I have going for me is my kids and grandkids. I have nothing intimate with anyone, am petrified about even attempting to, and you'd actually...be relieved about that...” 

“Nerimaru” she whispered weakly. 

“Go away. I don't want you anywhere near me” he hissed hurtfully. 

“Nelly” she blurted. 

“Go away to your perfect husband and your perfect kid and your perfect life and leave me here to drown in my own f—king misery since that just makes you so happy! You've already taken most of my happiness from me so you might as well have that too!” he yelled. 

She kissed him. 

His mind kind of...melted. 

Elli wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair as she gingerly caressed his lips with her own, prodding them apart with her tongue, and searched out for his. His head was yelling a lot of things, the next sentence more incoherent than the one before, lost in an insane jumble of utter madness and confusion. But...much like his mind, his body melted too... 

His arms almost automatically wrapped around her waist, running his hands up the jacket of that that weird expensive suit she wore. She spent hours tugging at it uncomfortably. It always made him wonder why she wore it... 

He could have died in that instant. No, not happy, but absolutely and utterly CONFUSED. 

Nelly's head was swimming, he couldn't even think straight. Where was he? Who was he? Why was he kissing his ex-wife...? 

...No, why'd his ex-wife that cheated on him and was remarried and had a kid kissing _him_? 

...And why did it suddenly not matter to him? 

“...Mama? Daddy...?” 

Cold water being splashed on them and lightning striking at their feet would have been less shocking than their youngest son's voice pervading on that shocking moment. Elli quickly pulled away and he pulled his arms up, coming back to a sickening reality. 

They both looked to Kyo who was staring at them through completely bloodshot and groggy eyes, a rather puzzled expression on his face. Nelly gaped. Oh shit. What...what would he say? Elli's expression mirrored his own and they waited for Kyo to say something. 

...But instead his head lolled over and he was snoring in the next second. 

They both breathed. 

Elli covered her lips with her hand, her eyes darting back and forth before she swallowed visibly and quickly darted from the room. He himself collapsed in the chair behind him, his eyes wide. 

...What...the hell? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Yagami Koji arms were curled around his wife, his head relaxed over hers, sleeping comfortably. Life had calmed down and the whole family was able to sleep a little better... 

Well, apparently not the whole family. 

His eyes burned when he opened them, awakened by the ring of his cell phone. Grumbling, glancing at the clock, he was miffed. Who the hell was calling at 4 a.m? Seriously? He frowned. Then again, with all that had been going down lately, it very well could have been an emergency. Gently leaning over his sleeping wife, kissing her temple as he did so, he grabbed his phone. 'Image data not available' flashed with the number meaning whoever didn't have one of the new styles of phones which was pretty much just Nelly. But then, the number also was way funky... 

Pressing it to his ear, he slumped back over and mumbled, “Hello?”   
  


“Hello. Is this Yagami Koji?” 

Closing his eyes and cocking a brow at the strange voice, he mumbled, “This is he...” 

“Ah, good, I'm Officer Ohiro. I'm sorry to be calling at this hour, sir, but you are his phone call, apparently.” 

...Officer Ohiro? His “phone call”? Koji finally sat up and felt nervous, “...Whose phone call am I?” 

“Ah, his license reads Yagami Nerimaru...?” 

...Oh crap. Koji buried his eyes in his hand, “...What did he do, officer?” 

“We got some noise complaints this morning and found him in the park square, yelling and talking loudly to himself. He's clearly quite intoxicated and we had to arrest him for public drunkenness and disturbing the peace.” 

“I see...” Koji groaned, “Doesn't he get to make his phone call though...?” 

“Quite frankly, sir, he's completely incapable of coherence right now. His blood alcohol level is through the roof.” 

Damn it, Nelly. Koji pulled himself from his warm bed to find pants and a sweatshirt... “Thank you for calling me then, officer. What's his bail?” 

“Oh no, he paid for that upfront. I just don't think he's in any condition to find his way home.” 

Koji nodded wearily, “I understand. I'll be there in about an hour.” 

Clicking off, he pressed his hands to his lower back and groaned. 'Public drunkenness'? What were they, eighteen? Nelly knew better, damn it. He just grumbled as he pulled the hooded sweatshirt over his head. If Shin was here he'd let their older brother handle it as usual but he'd just been sent over to one of the bases in the Middle East for a brief stint so naturally, in the line of siblings, he was the next to go save the day...at 4 a.m. Ugh, damn it, Nelly!   
  


“Lover...?” mumbled Popuri, finally waking, confused. 

He sighed and wandered over to her, “Nelly's in prison.” 

“What?” she echoed, sitting up, holding the sheet to rest against her naked breast. 

Sitting, he gently pushed her back into bed, “Drunk in public. I don't know what's going on but I have to go pick him up. Apparently he's excessively wasted.” 

“I want to go” she mumbled, sitting up. 

“Hell no” he grunted then muttered, “I need you here to bail me out when I beat him up.” 

Popuri scowled and he kissed her, “I'll be back soon. Go to sleep.” 

“...Okay” she mumbled reluctantly, “Be careful, baby.” 

“Will do” he smiled warmly, covering her with the blanket, “Go back to sleep and don't worry...” 

Exiting the room and leaving the house, groggy as all get out, he wondered what got into his twin. Keiji had talked to Jyun and informed him that Kyo was pretty much all clear and was even going home in a few days. Koji would think that Nelly would want to celebrate...with people. Not alone and getting so drunk he got arrested... 

His brother was an idiot. 

Taking the long drive across the bridge to the mainland, he wandered into the police station, feeling ready to kill. A cop asked what it is he needed. 

“My brother, Yagami Nerimaru, is apparently really tipsy. I was called to get him...” 

The officer looked relieved, “I think 'tipsy' is the understatement of the century, to be honest. Seriously, I've picked up tons of drunken people in my twenty years but your brother's BAC is through the roof and yet he's still conscious. I'm not sure if I'm impressed or worried. He's almost at .4...” 

Koji gawked, “...You can't be serious.” 

The man shook his head and Koji grunted. What the _hell_ was he drinking? Was he just letting alcohol get siphoned into his mouth? At .4 BAC, for all purposes, his twin should be dead or at least very well unconscious. 

But no, Nelly was in an isolated room, pacing and talking to himself loudly. Koji cocked a brow and wandered towards his brother after the guard let him in. 

“Nelly...what the hell is wrong with you? What's going on?” 

Nelly's attention shot to him and he gasped, rushing towards him, “FUTAGO!” 

Koji's eyes widened as his twin actually kissed him square on the lips, hugging him around his arms and pulled away to rest his cheek on his shoulder. Koji blustered, not a fan of, oh, guy's kissing him even if it was twin brother which was actually worse because it came off kind of incestuous. At least he didn't give him tongue. 

“What the _hell_ is wrong with you?” he repeated, trying to shove him away. 

Nelly almost curled against him, “It was okay when we were little...” 

“Yea, well, if you haven't noticed we're not 'little' anymore” Koji snorted loudly. 

“I wish we were before all this got complicated” he sighed airily, “Bros before ho's...” 

Koji cocked a brow and sighed, glancing back towards the cop who seemed a little startled, “Um, can we go? Do I have to sign him out or something?” 

“No, I just have to give someone the warning that the statute is up for his past offenses for public drunkenness but naturally, three strikes and he could see some actual jail time” the officer informed. 

Koji nodded, “Gotcha. I assure you this _will not_ happen again.” 

Dragging his intoxicated and show tune singing brother back to his car, he grunted, buckling him in and shaking his head. “Nelly, it's five in the morning and I'm up picking your drunk ass up. What the hell were you drinking?” 

Nelly just looked confused, “I was drinking...?” 

Koji stared at him wide-eyed for a moment and he shook his head, starting up his car, “O-kay, never mind. I see I'm not going to have much of an answer tonight so we'll just leave it at that. 'I was drinking'? Am I breathing right now? Holy crap...” 

Nelly still looked puzzled and stared out the window quietly before remarking, “I was thinking about kidnapping Elli.” 

“...Uh huh.” 

“I mean, if I lock her in my basement, she can't really leave me again, right?” Nelly reasoned unreasonably. 

Koji sent him a weird look, “Stop sounding like a creeper, Nell. Besides, I thought you didn't want Elli back.” 

“Oh, I do though. She doesn't like that guy, I think. She kissed me today so she has to like me.” 

Koji almost swerved in shock, “She did what?!”   
  


“She kissed me. It was like that kiss she used to give me signaling that eventually I was going to get some” Nelly remarked almost gleefully. 

That bitch, Koji seethed. “Nelly...is that why you got all drunk?” 

It wasn't really even a question because Koji knew that was the reason. However, Nelly laughed haughtily, “Dude, yea! I had so much craziness going through my head, I had to get rid of it. I don't even remember what I was thinking about now. That's what drinking's good for, y'know?” 

“You don't drink your troubles away, Nelly” Koji said severely. 

A weird moment of harsh clarity entered Nelly's dark eyes and they grew black, “ _You_ don't drink your troubles away. That has nothing to do with _me_.” 

Koji's eyes widened and he looked to his brother incredulously before snarling, “What the hell ever, it has everything to do with me. You're my damn twin or have you forgotten?” 

“Know why my baby f—ked up?” Nelly suddenly questioned randomly, “Because he tried living for other people. He only tried to get better for everyone and their brother but he never said 'I'm getting better for myself too'. Same selfless s—t we all get screwed over by in every case, even our kids!” 

“Nelly--” 

“Think about it! Kaede running off to confront that stupid bastard that nearly beat her to death for Steiner, Keiji and Steiner running off to confront that rapist for Celia and Steiner nearly dying, Jilliana almost dying for her father, Jyun letting Roomi go because of something her grandmother said--” 

Koji wasn't liking this cold ass son of a bitch talk. Nelly couldn't be that stone hearted and he wouldn't stand it. “For God's sake, Nelly--” 

But suddenly Nelly sobbed, “That stupid idiot of a doctor getting killed and me wanting to comfort that bitch of a woman he left behind with unrequited feelings leaving me to fall in love with her like a dumbass. And like a selfless moron I let her go off when I should have been selfish and made her stay. For once, why...? She's selfish, she doesn't want _me_ to move on. So for once, why couldn't I be too...? Why couldn't I be the one to say that I don't want you to be with anyone except me...?” 

And he wept...and Koji wanted to go find Elli and strangle her. Stopping at a light before the bridge, he tapped his left foot erratically, angrily, and sucked his cheek tight. 

...Damn it, Nelly. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Gobbin' gaboo” cooed Kyo, lifting Bethany over his head as he lied in bed. 

She giggled, very excited, before started to do that weird spitting thing kids did. Kyo closed an eye, turning his head, “That's not lady-like, Bethy!” 

He chuckled as she pouted and grabbed her teething ring, giving it to her. Staring at her as she nibbled at it, he smiled sadly, “You're teething and saying stuff...and dada's been sick while you're growing up and learning stuff and crawling. I'm sorry.” 

Bethany nibbled the plastic keys before giving a gummy grin and falling forward, kissing his cheek. He laughed, a tear rolling down his face, “Oh, I love my baby...” 

She sat up on his chest and looked to the door. Kyo looked as well and found his mother standing there, appearing shocked. He blinked and realized... 

...Did she know about any of her grandkids? Like, he knew she knew Kamon. But what about Fujiwako? Kaori? Miyako? Akira? Kairi? It was apparent she hadn't met Bethany... 

The woman was carrying a plate of his absolute favorite dish: crispy spring rolls. She stared at the baby for a moment before smiling at him. “I hear you're checking out in a few days so I supposed I'd bring you your favorite before...” 

She paused, trailing off, and he felt his throat tighten. Okay, this would be tough, but he didn't bite the hand that feeds. Even if it was his mother. 

“...Mom.” 

Elli set the food on the table and blinked, startled, “Yes, Kyo?” 

“Um...I...I'm...I'm really, really thankful towards you. That...that you took time out and have worked to nurse me back to health and knew what I needed to get better. I'd hate to think where I'd be if you hadn't come so...thank you, mother” he said slowly. 

She looked surprised again before walking towards him, stroking his hair, “...I'm still you three's mother and...and if you ever need anything, I'm still completely available. I know you guys are furious with me about what happened, what I've done, but don't feel that I...I'm unreachable.” 

Kyo frowned and slowly nodded. Bethany stared at her, nibbling her toy, and Kyo smiled down at her, “This is Bethany, mother. She's my last baby.” 

Elli bit her lip and her hand shook for a moment before she smiled, “...She's beautiful.” 

“Can you say 'thank you', pumpkin?” he cooed, kissing the girl's fat cheeks. 

She giggled and hugged his neck. Kyo rolled his eyes but smiled broadly, sitting up a little more, “She's a daddy's girl.” 

“Most little girls are” Elli smiled softly. 

Kyo glanced at her and swallowed again, closing his eyes. He didn't hate his mother...he never could. And he didn't get the idea his siblings did either but God did they hate what she did. What she did was...forever to be unforgivable...but... 

He slowly held Bethany out to the woman and she gaped, shocked, “Oh n-no, I couldn't--” 

“But you want to, right...? Just before...you go back to your other family” he offered. 

Biting her lip, her brown eyes filled with tears, and she quickly took the baby as if she expected him to change his mind. “Oh precious...” 

Bethany gurgled and Kyo smiled faintly as the woman sat, staring at the child tearfully. Rubbing her eyes, she rasped under her breath, “Why...? Why did...that kind of insanity have to come between us...? Why didn't I just tell him...?” 

Kyo cocked a brow, having not heard her musings, “What?” 

“...Nothing, dear” she whispered, closing her eyes as she hugged Bethany tightly before standing and handing his daughter back to him, “...Thank you, darling. Please...stay healthy. Know that your life and your sibling's lives and...your father's, all of you mean everything to me. Everything...has a meaning but...I love you. Don't any of you ever question that.” 

He frowned and wanted to ask 'why' then...but he just nodded and she rested her hand against his forehead for a second before smiling sadly at him, leaving. 

Staring after her, he felt weird. Why did he feel like some of that was finally going to get cleared up now? Ten years later, would they finally get some answers...? 

“Hey bro.” 

Kyo looked up and smiled for a second before drooping as Jyun wandered in, looking flat out weary. Sitting up more, he questioned, “You okay?” 

Jyun nodded sleepily, closing his eyes, “...Is mom going to be rolling around here much longer?” 

“Nah...” 

“Mm.” 

Jyun leaned all the way back in the chair, his eyes still closed and his brow raised suddenly, “Dad got arrested last night.” 

“... _What_?” 

Jyun rolled his eyes around as he opened them, “He was drunk and 'disturbing the peace'.” 

Kyo stared at him, “ _Our_ dad?” 

“Duh.” 

Kyo shook his head, reaching for the phone, and Jyun's eyes widened, quickly waving his hands, “Hell no! That man is _angry_ , do not call him!” 

“Ugh, fine” Kyo grumbled, setting the phone back down. Staring at the ceiling for a moment, he cocked a brow “You know, I had a weird dream yesterday. Mom and dad were like...kissing and stuff in front of me.” 

Jyun cocked a brow, “That is weird.” 

“But ah, dude, I can go home tomorrow! I'm so hyped!” Kyo grinned, bouncing Bethany on his lap. 

Jyun smiled, “Awesome. And when you get rested at home, we can go to The Village.” 

“Aww man, I can't effin wait!” he exclaimed before smiling at Bethany, “...It's over, bro.” 

Jyun didn't care much for his emotions. As Roomi said, he was a bit of a 'emotional disaster'...but he couldn't help the tear that rolled down his face though his smile didn't waiver. His family was still in tact. He hadn't lost his only brother...and normal...normal would return. 

“Yes, Kyo...yes it is.” 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _Nelly...”_

_He had worked all day, went and got drunk with all of his brothers. Tony and Shaun had come home for a visit and they'd actually gone to see what was up in the clubs as they hadn't been in...years. They danced, much to the delight of all the young ladies there. He'd had a blast that night. And the equation for absurdly fun plus drinking plus working equaled dead to the world tired._

_But he thought Elli may have been speaking to him in his dreams..._

_...Dreams?_

_She hadn't touched him in months by that point but might have been stroking his hair. She whispered, “What would you do if I found out that what I know is the truth...? Or if you knew how I felt? I feel you'd...you'd be utterly disgusted and hate me. That's...that's the way I feel...but...I can't leave you either. What's wrong with me...?”_

Nelly woke with a start and stared around, alarmed. What? What had she been talking about or...had he dreamed that? 

...Weirdly he didn't think so. 

Rubbing his brow, he stared around his room and grimaced when he found his phone loaded with messages. Picking it up, he dialed the one that called the most...Koji. 

He'd actually been humiliated when his brother told him how he'd behaved after he confusedly woken up in the man's house. Koji was lying beside him, wide awake, and as usually, Nelly curled up all over him but shockingly his twin didn't even shove him away. 

“You already kissed me in front of a cop, what does it matter that you feel snuggly in the comfort of my own home?” he snorted loudly. 

“I did _what_?” 

So apparently he told one cop he reminded him of a Keebler elf, another guy that his pants looked like he had camel toe and what was up with that, kissed and cuddled his twin, and was...SINGING songs from the 'Annie'. The hell? Had he even seen Annie? 

So yea, he actually ran out of Koji's house, for once in his life too embarrassed to face anything or anyone. He hid in his house all day and his kids apparently got wind of what went down and tried to come and talk to him. Naturally, he wasn't feeling it and for once seriously threatened Jyun and Hoshiko to keep out of his business. He grimaced and realized he hadn't visited Kyo though. He swore he'd visit him everyday. But... 

“You son of a bitch, where the hell have you been?” demanded Koji when he picked up in lieu of a greeting. 

“Don't insult our mama like that” Nelly yawned, wiping his eyes, “Sorry, I have to admit that my usual bold 'don't give a damn' attitude got a little injured and I had to go cry in horror in a corner.” 

Koji snickered some, “Jeez. You were pretty nuts though. It's just your little emo admittances when I drove you home bugged me.” 

Nelly grimaced, actually recalling these “admittances”... “I was just mouthing off, Koji.” 

“No you weren't” Koji snarled, “I want that woman to stay out of your life. All she's done is make you suffer.” 

He sighed at that and turned on his side, “I remembered something she told me this morning...she said: What would you do if I found out that what I know is the truth or if you knew how I felt. I feel you'd be disgusted and hate me. That's the way I feel but I can't leave you either. What's wrong with me?” 

Koji was in his rolly chair, he could tell, as the man probably spun in circles, “...I don't know. What do you think that means?” 

“It means that something is getting even more fishy about this craziness and yet I don't have it in me to care about what it's about. She had years to tell me, knew that I'd work to resolve it, and whatever. What really was so horrible that she'd think I'd hate her?” Nelly muttered. 

“The cheating?” 

“...I don't think so” Nelly murmured. 

“I don't know, idiot, and frankly I don't care. And neither should you. After thirty years, what's so terrible that she wouldn't have told you?” grunted Koji. 

“I missed Kyo's birth, if you recall. Maybe he had a twin mutant brother she hid somewhere” Nelly snorted. 

“Hmm...” 

Nelly rolled his eyes as his twin actually seriously pondered that, “Um, kidding, baka.” 

“I dunno...it'd make sense that you'd have at least one set of twins. I did...” Koji drawled. 

Nelly had to snicker, “Fine, if that was feasible in any length of the imagination then I guess that would be kind of devastating to hear about and possibly would affect how I saw her. However, again...” 

“I know” Koji sighed, “I guess it's hard to hate your wife completely, she did save a part of our family. However, it's still hard to trust or forgive her after what she did to you as well. And what she continues to do to you. I think we need to work on you moving on.” 

“Maybe” Nelly allowed reluctantly, “I...I don't need to worry about this yet. I just want to make sure my son is okay then I'll worry about my love life and whatnot.” 

“Probably for the best” Koji agreed, “But I have to go...and no more getting drunk off your ass, got it?” 

“Yes, FATHER.” 

After getting off that call with Koji, he called and apologized to Jyun and Hoshiko and told them he just hadn't been feeling so hot. 

Lying in bed, he closed his eyes for a brief moment and wondered if he was missing something. Was this some puzzle he could put together and figure out what happened? Maybe he should try...? It may prove to be irrelevant, may leave him feeling empty, but maybe it'd help him move on. 

The past constantly tried to drag him down, his kids down, his family down. For once, he was going to try to use it so that he could move towards the future. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kyo stared at their house, settled in a spacious area, Baron and Yuri grazing in the wide field that Gwen demanded for them. His eyes fogged a little as he closed them, the smile growing on his face. 

...He made it. 

Gwen parked the car and sat there for a moment before looking to him with a similar smile. “I'm glad you're home.” 

“Me too” he agreed warmly, leaning over to give her a kiss. 

The love of his life laughed softly, brushing her hair back, “I can't really believe all that's happened...” 

Kyo chuckled, “I think that sums up our lives.” 

She sighed at that and he bit his lip before reaching out, stroking her hand, “...You've been beside me this whole time and I...wouldn't have made it without you. And I swear I'll spend the rest of eternity trying to compensate for everything you've done.” 

Gwen gazed at him for a moment before shaking her head, relaxing into his arms across the armrest, “...I'd...do anything for you.” 

Kyo suddenly laughed, sighing, reaching to open the door, “Let's snuggle in a more COMFY place, I don't want to cuddle with my wife for the first time in forever in our car.” 

Gwen stuck out her tongue but smiled and agreed. Kyo looked back at Bethany who was sucking her pacifier, “You glad daddy's at home too, pookie?” 

She giggled and he grinned, “At least this one acts like a baby. Kairi would have answered and given me reasons.” 

Gwen laughed and Kyo climbed out of the car. Speaking of Kairi... 

“Go inside, sweetie, I'll get the baby” Gwen told him firmly, going to the back of the car. 

He sighed and nodded slowly. He'd probably scarred his only son for life. Kairi had watched him sleep to make sure that what that stupid kid was a lie, to make sure he wasn't dead. He stayed home to make sure nothing happened while he wasn't there...and what did Kyo do, like a complete idiot? Pass out right in front of him. No wonder the boy didn't come to see him at all... 

Entering the house, melancholy all the same, he gasped a little when he got tackled around the knees. He grimaced, his legs still hurting quite a bit but felt teary again, staring down at the little being holding onto him like his life depended on it. 

“Hey buddy.” 

“Daddy!” Kairi sobbed. 

Kyo knelt and grasped his son's shoulders, “What are you crying for, huh? Didn't I tell you nothing was going to happen to me?” 

“I know, but I jinxed you and you died!” he wept miserably. 

Kyo's brows furrowed and he smiled, bewildered, “I...didn't die, Kai, I'm standing right in front of you right now, little man.” 

Kairi looked sad, “But only DEAD people are at hospitals.” 

“Uh, que?” 

Kairi bowed his head and Kyo realized the truth. He squeezed his son's shoulders comfortingly, “Is that why you didn't come to see me, Kai? Because hospitals are for dead people and if I was there I had to be dead? Where'd you get that idea anyway?” 

“Because on all the television shows the people in the hospitals die” he protested, “And you died here!” 

“Sweet child, do you know what 'dying' is? ...Never mind” Kyo shook his head, “If I were dead, we wouldn't be talking right now. You know that.” 

“I know...” he whispered. 

Kyo finally grinned, “Besides, your Auntie Jilliana and Great Grandpa Yamada are in hospitals all the time and they're not dead.” 

Kairi seemed dubious at best but must have thought better of it. Kyo bit his trembling lip and hugged his child, “I'm not going anywhere.” 

“Promise?” Kairi whispered. 

“Promise.” 

Swooping Kairi up, though a lot weaker than he had been at one time, he grunted, “Well, whatever, that's over now. I think we need to catch up on some cartoons!” 

“Yea!” 

Gwen entered and scowled, “Kyo, you're still to be resting, you got it? That's an order!” 

“Yes ma'am” he agreed, kissing her cheek, and taking Bethany, “Come on, my lovelies. While we chill and watch television your mumzy can go take a nice bubble bath.” 

Gwen's nose wrinkled and he stuck out his tongue, “ _That's_ an order. Go get all pruney, young lady.” 

She rolled her eyes but smiled, “...It does sound nice.” 

“Definitely” he grinned, slamming down on the sofa, both of his children in his arms, “...Daddy's home. The family's all together again.” 

He thought of some things while he was sitting there, like his brother and his sister and his nieces and his nephews and his uncles and aunts and his dad... 

And his mother worked her way in there too. 

...What did that mean? 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 


	30. Epilogue

_I went to the bar that night to clear my mind, to gain a new perspective and a backbone in telling my parents that it was my life and I'd live it the way I want. Men were nothing to me then. Men were the ones that I slept with under the bleachers in the gym during the Homecoming Dance and I was named queen. I slept with people my best friends ended up marrying and the the most vile creatures ever to walked Earth just because I was that kind of girl. And I thought since those guys helped me be that girl, they were all to blame and I left them out of my life. Until I met him._

_Our relationship was dismal from the start. I thought he was a conniving pig and he thought I was, well, to put it mildly, rather untactful. It wasn't really a match made in heaven but now..._

“Sex is always the answer, it's never a question, because the answers 'yes', oh the answer's _yes_. Not just a suggestion, if you ask the question then it's always _yes-s-s_!” sang Yagami Kyo as he danced through their room, his iPod thrashing in his ears. 

Yagami Gwen stopped typing and smirked at her husband, “You know you're thwarting what I'm writing about, right?” 

He grinned, popping out the earbuds and throwing it on the desk they had in their 'office' and plopping down on the bed, “Well, the song got me to thinking...” 

She snickered as he hugged her waist, “Bethany will be here in any second, you know that.” 

The man groaned and dropped his head in her lap, “Oh, why can't the women get enough of me...?” 

Gwen laughed and shoved his shoulder, “Shut up!” 

“Oh, ya' want a fight, do ya'?” 

She squealed and giggled as he play wrestled with her on the bed, tickling her ribs wherever he found an opening. Kyo chuckled warmly and kissed her, snuggling with her after a moment, “Mm, life is so sweet...” 

“Yea” she agreed. 

Four years later, Kyo was still cancer free and her children were growing like weeds. Kyo was given a full-time job as a professor at their college and she was both a social worker and, from time to time, a motivational speaker. 

At the pressure of both Kyo's Aunt Jill and the writer of the first feminist book she'd ever read that didn't just continually blast men, she was writing about her experiences and planned to get published...if Kyo ever let her finish. 

But she smiled as he cuddled her in his arms, his brown eyes closing as he drifted off to sleep. He looked like the man she knew again. That pale thin frail fellow that had taken over him was replaced by her bright healthy spouse. His hair was completely back, weirdly growing back a strangely blondish brown much like when the sun of South America damaged it on their trip. Peculiar, in any case, but he hadn't seemed to care, just glad he had it back. 

Reaching back and stroking his cheek, she reached into her desk and grabbed a notepad, deciding to continue writing a rough draft of her novel as not to wake the man. 

“Daddy!” 

She grimaced as four year old Bethany, apple of her daddy's eye, came in, her purple eyes wide with unexplained horror. 

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” 

Gwen wanted to hush her loud daughter but Kyo groaned, his arms unraveling from around her waist and turning over to face his little girl. 

“What's wrong, pretty?” 

“There's a _huge_ monster under my bed” she wept actual tears, “And he told me he was going to eat me!” 

Gwen asked her parents if she ever made such tall-tales up. They told her no, that she just crawled into bed like she wanted to with them. Bethany apparently had to be a little creative though to get her way. Kyo, like the pushover parent he was, picked the little bronze haired girl up and cuddled under the covers with her, “Well, daddy will have some words with this monster in the morning. I promise he won't bother you again.” 

“Okay daddy...but he only appears at night” she informed, “And he only speaks Dutch.” 

Gwen had to bite back a laugh, hiding it with a cough as she usually didn't really want to humor nor support Bethany's storytelling as much as Kyo did but that was definitely a new one. Kyo, however, did laugh, “Really now? And I suppose you know Dutch to understand him?” 

“Well, maybe it's not Dutch” she said carefully. 

“I'd assume not” he grinned, kissing her forehead, “Well, whatever. Daddy will brush up on his Dutch and have a meeting with him tomorrow night.” 

Bethany nodded though this had played out thousands of times before and Gwen knew that as soon as Kyo 'spoke' with this 'monster', he'd have a replacement that was meaner than his original comrade. Gwen rolled her eyes and sighed, “Kyo...” 

“Hmm?” he asked, now watching their daughter sleep. It took her a minute top to doze off. 

“Are you going to humor her like that forever? She has to realize that she can sleep in her own bed some time” she pointed out reasonably. 

Kyo nodded some, “I remember when I was young that I'd climb into my parent's or Jyun's bed because, sometimes, I just didn't feel safe. She can't do it forever, you're right, but I don't want to tell her she can't. I don't want her to feel like she can't turn to me and turning her away now will just make her distrust me and not feel safe.” 

Gwen stared at him, surprised, and he laughed slowly, “At least, that's what I think, anyway. It's a little annoying but really, what's more important: having the bed to ourselves or continuing the foundation of our kids feeling like we're there when they need us?” 

“No, it makes sense” she said quickly, “I just hadn't thought about it like that. I just thought you were kind of spoiling her.” 

Kyo laughed affectionately, kissing the relaxed brow of his daughter, “Well, there's that too. It's hard to say 'no' to my baby but how can I turn her away when she's truly scared about something? I can't dismiss something that she's truly worried about.” 

“I suppose” Gwen sighed, setting her pad aside, now sleepy, “But it'd still be nice to have the bed to ourselves every once in a while...” 

Kyo reached over and turned the light off on his side, pulling Gwen into his arms, Bethany nestled comfortably between them, “I know but...you don't mind if I like being curled up around my two favorite ladies just as much, do you?” 

Gwen smiled softly as she fell asleep, “...No.” 

_I wouldn't have it any other way._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kyo sat on the couch of his uncle's home, something that he'd done his entire life now, and glanced at Kamon weirdly. Every time he saw his brother's son, he was just shocked. Thirteen-years-old. He remembered when he held him, a tiny infant, and now he was a teenager. 

“Akira, you have to cover me!” 

“I _am_ covering you, baka!” 

He looked over to where his eight-year-old nephew, Shimizu Akira, was playing video games, taking down enemies, with... 

His nine-year-old son, Yagami Kairi. 

Nine years. Nine years since he'd been to South America. He rested his chin in his palm, smiling at the boy. He wondered if this was what his parents had felt when they finally grew up. It was amazing that this thing that started out as a tiny little being progressed to...this. 

Kamon, perched on the couch with his best friend Aurelia, was texting something and the girl looked miffed, holding UNO cards. “Pay attention, ho-bag!” 

He scowled, looking up and down at the stack of cards before throwing his last one down, “Uno.” 

“I hate you” she growled, “I told you I wanted to play BS.” 

Kamon crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue, “Well I'm not in a BS mood. Especially _your_ BS.” 

“You're such an ass” she grunted. 

Kyo almost laughed at that smug look on Kamon's face just because he was _exactly_ like his brother in almost every aspect. Aside for the blue eyes, Kamon's hair was exactly the same and his general demeanor was exactly the same. It was weird. 

He reached out and jabbed Aurelia's cheek, grinning lazily, “Tell ya' what: we can play BS later. Right now I am starving.” 

The pinkish-purple haired girl just sighed and leaned backwards against his side, throwing her head back against his shoulder, “Fine, I can deal with that.” 

Well, except that. His brother was rarely just “friends” with a girl growing up but Kamon pretty much regarded Aurelia as just that: a friend. A peculiar kind of friend though, one where she apparently openly slept in his bed, stayed over at his house for weeks at a time, had a _key_ to his house, and frequently has seen him _naked_ and vice versa. If the fact that they still had no romantic involvement wasn't strange, the fact that Jyun nor Roomi cared about this extreme sort of bosom buddy was. A key to their house? That wasn't crazy? 

Shimizu Miyako suddenly wandered in, already eleven, and looked disgusted, “I'm done with Taekwondo!” 

“Oi, is someone bothering my Button?” Kyo scowled. 

“No...” she sighed heavily, sitting down beside Kamon, “I'm just sick of it! I'm a six degree black belt already but I can't progress until I'm older so I'm just wasting my time!” 

Miyako, or whom all her uncles and, well, everyone, affectionately called Button, was a hardcore martial arts nut. It was super weird, of course, she might be 4'6” at this point but he'd gone to watch her at a match, she kicked ass. Never underestimate tiny people. Kyo had observed one of her opponents snort and tell her that all those boys had taken it easy on her because she's short and a girl but he didn't care, he'd take her out. Oh, Button put him in his place fast and he walked off, humiliated. 

Kamon reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, “Know what would be _sweet_? Muay Thai.” 

Miyako's brow dropped, “Muay Thai?” 

“Yea, it's a striking sport like Taekwondo but it's more like boxing” Kamon nodded, looking it up on his phone and handing it to her. 

She looked at it and Kyo smirked. This should be good. Julius wandered in, wearing his maroon coat, purple shirt and red pants. The man was mortified that his beloved baby girl was into such 'violent things', as he called them. Why couldn't she be into dolls or dresses or kittens?, he'd questioned sadly. But Miyako looked up with her red eyes, wide with delight and excitement. 

“Daddy! I'm going to quit Taekwondo!” 

Julius looked absolutely delighted, “Oh thank God!!” 

“I'm going for Muay Thai!” 

His delighted look melted and he appeared mortified, “...Please tell me that's a kind of noodle.” 

Kyo laughed and Miyako stuck out her tongue, skipping off to inform her mother, probably. Julius looked irritable, “My kids are variables of the oddest kind.” 

“Because you're a variable of the oddest kind” Yagami Jyun said, meandering in. 

Julius leered and Kyo grinned, “Well, it's true.” 

Shimizu Hoshiko wandered in next, scowling, “Don't make fun of my hubby, you jerks!” 

She hugged his waist and both of them gagged like they always did. It was just their way, Kyo thought, amused. 

Bethany skipped in, his angel, and rushed Kairi, causing him to mess up in his game, “HEY!” 

“Onii-san-n-n-n-n-n!” Bethany whined, “Let me play!” 

“Sweetie, come over here and play with daddy” Kyo offered instead, knowing Kairi would not appreciate this little interruption. 

She pouted at him and Kyo just sighed. So because he was excessively late and slow and Gwen wanted a baby so randomly, he pretty much was one of the last of his 'cousin's' generation that had had kids or at least kids that stayed in the locale. His cousins that were weirdly grand-parents now? Well, they were a little too young for Bethany's taste so the poor thing didn't garner the friendships like Akira or Kamon, Kaede and Keiji and Jyun and Carrie, or...well, anything like that so of course her only other option was to bug the hell out of her brother. 

But luckily she made due, noticing her uncle was in the room suddenly, “Uncle Jyun! Can I play with your hair?” 

The man groaned but relented as always, slamming down on the floor, “If you'd like, Shortstuff.” 

She delightedly went about prettifying Jyun's thankfully longer hair again with ribbons and bows. The man played with his Blackberry and Kyo smirked, “Thanks.” 

“Yea, well, maybe you need to grow your hair out if you really want to thank me” he snorted, Bethany braiding a random bit. 

“Psh, I'd look like a freak with long hair, thanks.” 

Their Aunt Popuri walked in as usual, with a smile and a snack platter of crackers and cheese. Kyo popped a cracker into his mouth and Kairi even paused his beloved game to grab a handful of the snack. Bethany's nose just wrinkled. 

So it was one of the strangest things but...she hated everything. Macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers, spaghetti, corn, and PB &J's were her domain. Yea, just typical kid stuff but she really didn't eat often. Like, she wouldn't fight for food and demand to eat like Kairi, she'd eat if it suited her...so basically she was his polar opposite. 

He reached out and petted her hair, smiling faintly. But whatever, he loved his baby... 

“Where's Gwen?” questioned Yagami Roomi, wandering in with a glass of wine for her and Jyun. 

“Writing her book” he announced, rolling his eyes, “I mean, you know how much that will suck? I'll have to read it.” 

Hoshiko smirked at him, “You fail as a teacher. I mean, you'd rather read anthropology books than the novel your wife is pouring her soul into.” 

“Oh, it'd be fine if it were about anthropology, but it's apparently about us and well, that just doesn't bode well. What if I find out she hates me?” he lamented. 

Jyun snorted, “I'm going out on a limb and saying unless she's attaching the book to a set of divorce papers you're safe.” 

“OH MY GOD!” 

“Shut up.” 

Hoshiko laughed, sitting across Julius' knees, “You don't really think your wife would write something bad about you, do you? After all this time, after all you've been through?” 

“Nah” Kyo sighed, “Still though, a novel about _us_...” 

“I wonder what she'd title it...” Julius mused, stroking his chin before speaking and running his hand across like he was signaling something, “If it were about us it'd be like 'The Odd Couple: The Enhanced Version'.” 

Hoshiko cocked a brow at him and Jyun laughed, “More like 'Why My Husband Needs More Shelf Space Than Me'.” 

“And The Mystery of Why My Jackets Must Be Organized By Complimentary and Secondary Colors” Julius added, appearing thoughtful. 

His wife snickered and Kyo cocked a brow, laughing, “I think I would confuse the name for the actually freakin' book. It's like a Panic At the Disco song title.” 

Roomi snickered, “Not to mention there's not enough cover space in the world.” 

“Yea, I think my writing professor would have an aneurysm if I came up with a book with that title. Of course, I think I did skip most of the course on condensing” Jyun stroked his chin, cocking a brow. 

Kamon returned with a soda and popped the lid, snickering, “I thought you were smart, dad.” 

“Yea, _dad_ ” Roomi stuck out her tongue. 

“ _Dad_ was also a fan of napping” Jyun snorted. 

Kyo laughed, shaking his head, “I skipped school like I was a criminal, I'm not going to lie.” 

“Yea, well, I guess so, you went missing every other week” Hoshiko snickered, kicking him. 

Kyo 'nyahed' and Bethany finished the final touch of Jyun's hair, giggling contently. Roomi smiled, “That's very pretty, Bethy.” 

“Thank you, Aunt Roomi! What do you think, Uncle Jyun?” she questioned happily. 

Jyun picked her up in his arms, kissing her cheeks dotingly, “Whatever you like, shorty.” 

“Oh! That reminds me” Roomi clapped, looking to Kyo hopefully, “Do you think you can get Gwen to take a moment out of her book and come to see us tomorrow at Ai?” 

Jyun smirked at her and Kyo cocked a brow, “Maybe. Why?” 

“Oh, I just wanted to show her something we have there!” Roomi replied, waving a hand. 

Kyo shrugged, “Yea, I'll tell her...” 

The rest of the night was fun, as tradition had it. Sure, they had cousin's kids that had kids now or those kids that had once been so small were now saucy teenagers amongst other things. But nonetheless, after all he'd been through, after the death scares, the life-changing moments, the cancer... 

He was still here and everything he loved was as well. That was something that he undervalued at one point but now that he was older, he'd learned his lesson. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Argh, Roomi, this is a _horrible_ idea!” 

'Oh honey, Roomi wanted you to stop by tomorrow to Ai'. 'Why?'. 'Dunno, she said she wanted you to check something out'. Oh, okay. That's fine, she needed a break from work and writing. 

However, she had no idea she'd end up _modeling._

Flustered, she wore a fluttery white long dress, her neck adorned with a design by Julius of pearls and silver, her blonde hair curly and tressing over her bare shoulders. “I _so_ didn't agree to this!” 

Her brother-in-law wandered into the nature scene, holding his still rather clunky camera, and waved a hand, “I thought it was weird that she was going to swindle you into this but the dress and jewelry does look good on you.” 

Gwen flushed and grumbled, “I am _not_ a model!” 

“Well, let's try it” the man shrugged, “Sit on the rock.” 

Glowering, she slammed down and Jyun smirked, “Um, Gwen, glaring at me is not going to get this done any faster. Relax your face and body a little.” 

With a disgruntled groan, she did so and Jyun clicked one picture before directing, “Stretch out your body and let your eyes glow.” 

“Let my eyes glow?” she echoed, confused. 

“Think of something delightful.” 

She tried and Jyun actually snickered, “Whatever you did, don't do it again. You look like a kid.” 

“Pooh!” 

Jyun set down his camera and walked over, positioning her so she was looking over her shoulder, facing away from him, “There. Look sexy.” 

“I don't know what that means!!” 

Jyun smirked, his dark eyes rolling around, calling out, “Roomi, I don't really have all day to teach Gwen how to model.” 

Roomi walked in, Bethany by her side since Gwen could find no one to watch her, and looked pouty, “But she looks so _perfect_!” 

Gwen sighed again and Bethany, who'd been elsewhere while Roomi wrestled her into this dress, squealed, rushing to her, “Mama, you look like a princess!” 

“Thank you, pumpkin” she smiled, “I guess you don't get to see mama in dresses often, huh?” 

Bethany shook her head solemnly and Gwen kissed her forehead. Her daughter, in a bit of irony, didn't seem to get along as well with her just because Gwen didn't always humor her like her father did or expected a little more from her, some of her feminism still existent, though minor. Of course, she still loved her baby. 

“Ooh.” 

Gwen looked up at Jyun, confused, as the man had his chin propped in his palm and his elbow in his other hand, “So you just needed a little motivation. Baby, you think you can make something up for Bethy to wear?” 

Gwen was startled and Roomi clapped, the action that revealed she thought whatever was a good idea, and waved Bethany over to her. She found a really big scarf and wrapped it like a sari-esque dress, matching Gwen's hair style, glittering up her face, and putting on another pearl necklace that was in the same collection. Giggling, the girl ran over to her, “Mommy, I'm a princess too now!” 

She chuckled and picked her up, being fantastical for a second,“Yes you are.” 

“Okay, work it, ladies” Jyun instructed simply. 

Gwen didn't understand that at all but smiled and hugged her daughter, sitting on the rock. The girl, in that kind of childish endearment, pressed her cheek against her's. Jyun smiled and clicked his camera, “That's better. Just try to act natural.” 

“Natural” Gwen snorted, standing with Beth in her arms to resettle on the rock, “There's nothing natural about me modeling.” 

Jyun laughed, “You're tall, you're blonde, a.k.a. you're perfect.” 

Gwen smirked but laughed as Bethany grinned cutely, Jyun snapping at a good moment, before she commented, “I sometimes think my crazed feminist teacher would kill me if she had the choice.” 

“Whatever” snorted Jyun, snapping away, “You're a successful social worker, you've helped people in horrible conditions by not limiting yourself to gender, and you're writing a book. Not to mention you have the two gorgeous kids. Now the baka you married I think you got screwed over on...” 

Gwen laughed at that, posing with Bethany again, the whole thing actually becoming weirdly 'natural', “I love my husband.” 

“I know” Jyun chuckled, “I wonder what he'll think of this.” 

She had to grimace at that, “Oh my God, I can't let you publish this! People will see me!” 

“You'll be fine” he grinned, waving a hand, “You know that Roomi forced me to for some weird pair of pants?” 

“Really?” Gwen's eyes widened, “I look at all Ai issues, I never saw!” 

Jyun winked, “It was when my hair was short. A wig, contacts, and a tan, I was a completely different person.” 

“Crazy” Gwen snickered. 

“So if I had wigs and a contacts I could be another person?” Bethany said, her eyes glowing with child-like intrigue. 

Jyun laughed adoringly, “Well I think that Bethany is all the person you need to be, I like her best.” 

Bethany giggled, her cheeks getting that rosy glow, and Gwen smiled. Figured that she'd be worried about that teacher that tried to kill her and her family so long ago. Last she heard, 'Tomei-sensei' had been fired for something or the other and not a moment too soon in Gwen's opinion. She'd gone to some little thing they had for students with Kyo and one girl was very upset that she was kicked out of the program like Gwen had been. Gwen had asked 'why?' and it ended up being that the girl was raped at sixteen, had been impregnated as a result but decided that she really couldn't go through an abortion and had the baby and raised it. Tomei-sensei caught wind and had her removed so fast her head was spinning. 

Gwen had met amazing feminist supporters through her career. They just wanted things to be level, to be equal. In fact, they even argued for a male inequality case once where a man had been raped in the army and was ridiculed for the offense, his attackers walking free. Gwen loved that they wanted to help _people,_ not gender, and she'd wished Tomei-sensei realized that life was too short to just take offense to anything that sounded even remotely sexist. Remembering eating up lessons about how holding the door for someone or offering an old lady a seat was saying that they were incapable, Gwen just shook her head. 

The times had thankfully changed. 

Jyun signaled he was done, something else to be thankful for, and Gwen walked over to his computer. She was surprised by the pictures, really. They came off really...gorgeous. Roomi beamed, “Perfect!” 

Jyun smiled and nodded, Gwen flustering as Bethany jumped up and down to see the pictures. Part of her was surprised by the images of her and her baby. It seemed to her that it was one of the most purest things in the world, a mother and her child. 

She'd dreamed one night that she'd never met Kyo, that her mother hadn't thought to 'test' to see if she'd get married and left her alone. Full of bitter rage, she imagined how it'd ache. She envisioned herself spending days rioting over male oppression and preaching to women not to bother to get married, it'd only lower them. 

Then she'd go home to an empty apartment and make herself something to eat and silently wonder what the meaning of it all was. Because if she stayed that way, her friends wouldn't connect with her as much, she'd spend her time lecturing them on being with men. Shelly definitely wouldn't hear it, nor would Michelle or Rachel. Marissa would for a little while but then Gwen remembered if Kyo hadn't pushed her to go into her reunion, Marissa and her would have never spoke again. Thinking of variables to counteract that claim, she knew it wouldn't have happened... 

She would have isolated herself from her parents. She'd have fellow supporters but bitter fueling bitter? Not exactly a healthy mix and she probably wouldn't have noticed but physically felt it and that would have kept her from developing friendships with them... 

Most likely she would have lived alone in despair. And despite what she may have thought at one point, she was no loner. Worst case scenario, she would have fallen completely out of feminism and sank back into her original role of sleeping around with anyone that showed a bit of interest. 

Her life wouldn't have been anything like this, she thought almost tearfully as she buckled her daughter into the back seat of her car. Maybe Kyo almost died from cancer, maybe they'd almost been killed in that fire but... 

But what about Ai, the daughter she bore for Joe and Hotaru? What about the stay over in South America that lent her more insight than any textbook could? Or better yet, yielded her first child that made her realize that she was not merely a slave to his existence? Her friends? She had all of them. As much as it had disgusted her at one point, she'd even made up with Blake. Shockingly enough, he was a better father to Tommy than Sara was a mother but that was another story. 

She'd grown so much and she had everything she'd wanted in both her past lives and new things she had never imagined. 

And to think, she laughed in her head, it all started in a bar. 

With her Kyo. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“ _Naked chicks!”_

“ _Boobs!”_

“ _Tequila!”_

_Yagami Kyo cocked a brow as he sat in the front of his lecture, having just opened up discussion as to why study-programs were important..._

“ _That was a super sucky ass bunch of answers” he responded plainly._

“ _Aww, but professor, you had to get some pleasure out of it!” complained one guy._

_Kyo smirked, “Nope. That violates rules plus I was kind of...married.”_

“ _What does your wife look like, Kyo-san?” asked one of the girls._

_Oh, tangent time.“She's gorgeous.”_

“ _All husbands say that” her nose wrinkled._

“ _No-o-o they don't” snorted another guy._

_Kyo laughed at that, shaking his head, “She really is, I mean it. But back on topic...”_

_He opened up to good discussion again and wandered around the room to hear better. He noticed two girls staring rather attentively at their textbook. Kyo smirked. Really? Pardon the pun, but that was the oldest trick in the book. Slowly meandering over to them, he glanced at what they were really looking at...and did a bit of a double-take._

_It was an issue of his sibling's fashion slash shoes slash whatever else magazine and in it was none other than his beautiful wife and daughter. Staring at the picture, he was startled. They both looked downright angelic, Jyun apparently having some done weird effect to make their eyes glow brighter and more purple. Sitting on some rock with green scenery in the background and a waterfall of some sort, it was a little odd. But they both looked so happy and that made him smile a bit._

_Course, he'd still kill Jyun for putting his baby out there in a magazine for other men to see._

Gwen yawned as she walked into her home, mumbling the greeting for entering a home half-heartedly. Such formalities for her own house... 

Taking off her shoes, grimacing and rubbing the back of her heels, having had to wear the shoe of the same name for hours, she sniffed the air. Mm, Kyo had started dinner. 

Walking into the kitchen, unbuttoning her business jacket, she smiled at her husband, finding him sitting at the table with a book and a cup of coffee. He looked up at her with a bit of a glow in his eyes. 

“Hey.” 

“Hi” she returned, walking over and giving him a kiss, “How was your day?” 

“Pretty good” he drawled, scratching his chin before standing, going over to the stove. 

Gwen blinked and he handed her a cup of coffee, gesturing for her to sit at the table beside him. Frowning, she sat and drank the brew, cocking a brow, “Is everything okay?” 

“Oh, it's peachy, just wondering when you became a double agent” he remarked, flipping the pages of a magazine, “You know, social worker by day, model by night.” 

Gwen blanched and he smirked at her, showing her the ad, “I'm teasing, of course. I love them. I threatened Jyun's life, but I love them.” 

She pouted haughtily, “Roo tricked me into it.” 

He laughed, “I figured. Jyun gave me copies and I like all of them. I think I want to get a family photo taken one day after looking at these.” 

Gwen's mouth formed an 'o', “That'd be really nice! I hadn't thought about it. At least while our kids are still young.” 

“Yea, because once they're old we're throwing them to the wolves” Kyo nodded, walking back towards the stove. 

She smirked, “That's not what I meant, but...” 

He winked at her, flipping over whatever he was cooking, “Go get changed and stuff. Dinner should be ready in a few.” 

“Okay...” she sighed, standing. 

Figures Kyo would find out somehow, she thought with a sigh as she unzipped her skirt. But at least he was okay with it. Having grabbed a few photos, she sat on the edge of the bed and looked through them. She liked this one the most, she smiled, staring at the one where Bethany actually relaxed her head on her chest and looked solemn. 

Oh! She should use one of them for her book cover, she jumped, shocked by the sudden idea. Oh, that'd be so cute... 

Returning downstairs, she sat at the table with her laptop and continued through her novel, writing about how she had barely wanted to allow herself to even worry for Kyo's safety, entailing about that horrible accident that had failed to take him that first time and tried to again later. 

Biting her lip, a little emotional writing about that, she smiled when Kyo brought over three plates and a separate plate of chicken strips for Bethany. “Bon appetite!” 

Setting her laptop aside, Kyo called the kids and they all sat at the table, eating dinner together. Such a different life, she thought with a smile, recalling how her father never had time in their youth and by the time he did, she was sixteen and out every night. 

“Daddy!” Bethany exclaimed, her purple eyes aglow. 

Kyo smiled at her, “Yes, princess?” 

“I met my husband” she said proudly. 

Gwen pursed her lips to keep from giggling at the briefly aghast look on Kyo's face before he cleared his throat, “Oh really...?” 

“Uh huh!” 

“Would I approve?” Kyo leered, “Does he have a job? A car? A house? Does he smell good?” 

Gwen cocked a brow and nearly had to bite her tongue at his randomness. Bethany looked confused, “I don't know but I have a picture of him! Do you want to see?” 

“Certainly.” 

Bethany skipped off and Gwen finally laughed a little incredulously, “'Does he smell good?'? Is that what you're going to ask when she really brings a guy home for you to meet?” 

“Don't be silly. When she really does, I'll just kill him” Kyo said naturally. 

“Uh huh” Gwen smirked. 

“Now if I really like him, I would ask that. Cleanliness says a lot about a man” Kyo nodded knowledgeably before pointing his fork at Kairi, “Remember that!” 

Kairi smirked, eating his food with his father's vivacity, “Sure thing, dad.”   
  


Gwen snickered and looked up when Bethany returned with a piece of paper. She came to Kyo's side to show him and the man leaned back, wiping his hands on a napkin before taking the picture of Bethany's spouse. 

He cocked a brow, “....Why are his eyes rainbow? And what's with this braid running down the side of his head? And is he old? Why's his hair white?” 

“Daddy!” pouted Bethany, “His eyes are rainbow because I couldn't see what color they were so I just made them every color!” 

“I see...” 

“You can have that picture” she said proudly, starting to skip off, “Because I'm going to draw more!” 

Gwen scowled after her and looked to her plate. She ate like a chicken strip and a half. Way unhealthy... 

Kairi, on the other hand, finished his plate and got seconds. Gwen sighed, resting her chin in her palms, “My son's ravenous like his dad and my daughter doesn't eat for anything...” 

“I think Bethany's a little too ADD for eating” Kairi admitted, cutting his food. 

Gwen smirked, “Thank you, Dr. Yagami.” 

“You know, in a weird kind of jacked up preschool way, this picture reminds me of Vivi...” Kyo suddenly mused, stroking his chin. 

Gwen cocked a brow and glowered at him, her chin still rested in her hands, “And who's Vivi again?” 

He stared at her for a moment before smiling, “No one.” 

She leered at him and Kairi snickered, taking his plate over to wash in the sink before vanishing. Kyo sighed and showed Gwen the picture. Gwen just shrugged. 

“She's an awfully...creative child” she remarked dryly. 

Kyo scowled, “Nothing's wrong with a vivid imagination.” 

The woman sighed, grabbing Kyo's and her plate to wash, “You're right, I just don't really know how to develop it when she's talking about all these crazy visions and ideas of monsters and fairies and stuff. I mean, she sounds like she'd make an awesome writer but should I work on that now or wait for kindergarten next year...?” 

Kyo stroked his cheek, “I don't know. Maybe there's some kid programs we can sign her up for before then. It's not like it'd hurt.” 

She nodded, scrubbing, and Kyo cleared his throat, “Speaking of 'writing', how's that novel going?” 

“Long” Gwen laughed warmly, “But I suppose there's been a lot going on in our lives since we met, huh?” 

Kyo smiled at her, “...Yea. I bet that's daunting to reanalyze.” 

The blonde frowned at him before wiping her hands on a towel they had hanging on the wall, walking over and sitting in his lap, “You're not worried about this book, are you?” 

“Hell yea” he snorted, wrapping his arms around her waist, “All the hell I've put you through. Seeing it in writing is probably enough to make you question what you see in me, I bet.” 

“Don't be ridiculous” she chastised evenly before leaning over and kissing him warmly, “It makes me even more glad to have ever met you.” 

He pinked a little and rubbed his cheek against hers, whispering, “I wonder what my life would be without you too. I'm glad I don't have to know...I love you.” 

“I love you too” she rasped, closing her eyes and resting her head against his shoulder. 

_After the accident, after telling myself for years that love was mythical, I ended up telling my husband without thinking_ . _I regretted it afterwards, even thinking it meant I had to leave him. I thought if I loved someone I would be forced to change into something I hate, someone that required love to exist. But loving Kyo from that point on, when he made me accept that love was okay, that it existed at least between us, was never hard and it never made me change negatively. I love my husband, my family, and my children unconditionally._

_And I'll never regret it again._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

“Hey sexy, why don't you put that laptop down and top my lap...?” 

Yagami Gwen smirked at her husband as he prodded her into sex. He'd been extremely supportive during this time and she appreciated it but apparently he wanted some 'them' time now. 

She stroked his hair as they laid in bed, “Stop being silly, Kyo. I'm writing the last few lines of my novel. Once I'm done, we can catch up on all the time I've been busy, I promise.” 

“Oh baby” he purred, “Will it be done tonight? 

“No!” she laughed, “What do you think I should name my book?” 

“How This Book Left Kyo Horny” he pouted. 

Gwen snickered, jabbing his cheek, “I'm serious!” 

Kyo stroked his chin, cocking a brow, “Actually, I should write that book. It sounds epic.” 

She smirked at him and started to write the last paragraph... 

_Some would question if I'm crazy, if I'm insane for staying here when so many things have seemingly gone wrong. I wouldn't think so. Anyone that looks at life should know that nothing worth saving comes without trial. And I have learned a great deal about my own humanity, from my own experiences, about what it truly means to be a mother, a member of a family, a wife and those things weren't about being a woman but myself. I think of what would have happened in my life if I hadn't met my husband and I know I would have become bitter. Life shouldn't be spent in anger when there's so many opportunities. And to think I probably would have refused to learn and that makes me wonder._

Gwen frowned, cursing that she was just getting writer's block in this last second. 

Kyo blinked towards the door when a soft knock came. His brow furrowing, he blinked, “Uh, Kairi?” 

“Yea...” 

“Come in.” 

The boy wandered into the bedroom and looked green, “I think I ate something bad...” 

Gwen scowled, setting her laptop down, “Oh, you. What did you eat?” 

“Nothing out of the normal...” he admitted as the woman felt his forehead, “There was some of that cheese you slice in the fridge though...” 

Kyo looked mystified, “I haven't bought cheese in a month and half. I mean, a block, that is...” 

“Oh, that's why...” Kairi said rather airily. 

Gwen groaned and Kyo smirked, going to get some medicine from their closet, “Son, if the cheese has fuzz on it, it's not safe to eat, dude.” 

“I was so hungry though...” 

Gwen groaned and Kyo sighed, handing the boy a tablet, “I probably should clean out the fridge more and keep snacks more handy...” 

Kairi had started sweating which was weird and concerning but they had him lay down on the end of the bed and watched him doze. Kyo stared at him and laughed faintly, “I really had wished none of my kids would get my hunger...” 

“I wish Bethy had a fourth of it” snorted Gwen, “And an open mind about trying different things. She'll get fat on that diet.” 

“I'm more concerned about how just plain unhealthy it is” Kyo's nose wrinkled, “She's getting none of the nutrients a child should be getting except through multivitamins. And yea, she's probably fit to grow overweight, she barely goes outside to play or anything.” 

“Daddy!” 

Kyo jumped and Bethany skipped in, looking horrified, “Daddy! The monster ate Kairi!” 

“Kairi's right here, sweetie...” 

“That's not Kairi!” she scowled, glaring at his sleeping form like he was some kind of clone. 

Gwen cocked a brow and Kyo stared at her, amused, “Uh huh. Come here, pumpkin.” 

Bethany pranced over to him and he grunted, picking her up and stroking her hair, “Baby, are you interested in doing any sports? You know, like your cousin Miyako does karate and stuff...” 

“No” Bethany said flatly, staring at him like she thought he was crazy. 

Gwen sighed and Bethany looked to her questionably, “Why? Does mommy want me to get beat up?” 

“Of course not!” scowled Gwen, “There's other sports to do besides karate.” 

“Yea!” exclaimed Kyo excitedly, “You can play soccer like your brother! Or tennis or volleyball--” 

“No!” 

Kyo sighed miserably. Well, Kairi was in all those things and, much to Lane's delight that he'd actually fly in every week to Japan, he was in the football club. He was rather tall for his age so he'd been recruited into volleyball as well. Tennis was just random and he admitted he only did it because he liked Wii Tennis. At least he was good at it. And most of the males in the family had done soccer. So yea, he didn't fear his son becoming unhealthily obese. 

But apparently his daughter wanted nothing to do with any of that. He stared at her as she seemed almost indignant and a picture of his wife in a tutu suddenly and randomly popped into his head. 

“...What about a ballerina?” he said slowly. 

Gwen looked at him, shocked, and Bethany's eyes widened and brightened, “A ballerina? Would I get to wear a pretty pink dress?” 

Whose child is this?, Gwen thought absently. Kyo, on the other hand, nodded and she squealed, excitedly bouncing on the bed, “Yea! Yea, I wanna be a ballerina!” 

“Excellent! We'll sign you up for classes tomorrow and get you all the leopards and tights and stuff!” 

“Leo _t_ ards, Kyo, not leopards” Gwen had to laugh. 

He stuck his tongue out and Bethany was beside herself. This strangely led to her tuckering out quicker than usual and Kyo chuckled, watching their two children, “Oh, they're a weird duo...” 

“Yea, and they're ours” Gwen laughed softly, leaning into his side and rebooting her laptop, “Read my final paragraph and see what you think. I still need a title and a good ending.” 

Kyo sent her a 'seriously?' look before sighing and accepting the computer into his lap, reading across the screen. His brows dropped for a moment before he looked thoughtful... “Well...life is full of learning is what I'm getting from this message. You learned things about yourself vied against your previous life and you learned that things aren't as black and white. Like male and female and stuff...so maybe end it with that idea?” 

Gwen blinked at him and he smiled, “I can't wait to read it though. My baby the author. Awesome!” 

She elbowed him but smiled, kissing him before he dragged the kids to the top of the bed and covered them up, going to sleep himself. Gwen stared at the three and her fingers immediately went to work. 

_I don't want to say becoming a mother and wife is the only way. My life before may actually work for some people. But I don't want those people that became that way for the wrong reasons to look back in anger. I don't want those people that do crave friendship and intimacy to sit alone in misery. Those opportunities won't be there forever but it's never too late to change. I sit here now, staring down at my son, daughter, and husband as they sleep and I realize I'm a living testament to that. This was something I cursed once for reasons I never lived and now that I have, I have never been happier. And I know that some of my former radical feminists comrades will read this and curse me and I probably will actually sympathize with them because I know most of them will look back with sorrow that they lived their lives in anger. I don't think I'm arrogant. I rather think I'm lucky._

Gwen paused and smiled, stroking both her children's brows and kissing Kyo's forehead. She was lucky. She almost lost Kairi to her own misguided opinions. Had she not realized how he was so much more than a burden, she'd spend the rest of her life hating and resenting herself, crying every night because she left her baby in some orphanage. Or if that bastard hadn't showed her how it was, he'd have died. 

Staring at Kyo, remembering the frail version of himself when he'd been with cancer, she always felt like sobbing. If she'd lost him, as she'd whispered into his ear when he was in a coma, she'd move on...but only in life, not in spirit. Part of her would have died that day too. 

This was her existence now. One where she had the job that she wanted, the house she wanted, and the friendships and relationships she wanted. She truly had everything and she knew other people couldn't say that. But there was no reason that they should stop fighting for their dreams, that they should refuse something they didn't understand. She hadn't understood that Kyo wouldn't be her master, her jailer, her 'ball and chain' but her equal, someone that proclaimed he needed her just as much as she knew she needed him. That was something she would have never learned in school. 

Tapping her fingertips against the laptop, a smile crossed her face and she finished off her book, title in her head and all, before setting the laptop aside and curling up next to her family, falling asleep. 

_Whether you like it or not, we learn something everyday. And I learned that most importantly, I shouldn't judge people on the way they wish to live. I'll take this moment to apologize to all the women and men I cursed for marrying, telling them they were enslaved. I chose to live one way because of my past promiscuity and decided I was fit to rule over others. Now I almost weep at how judgmental I was earlier in my life. And believe it or not, I don't even judge radical feminists as much as it may seem, I just wish they'd take a moment and realize that they're no more law than a man should be and that their own harsh assessments bring them more harm than good. Just another something I learned._

_I hope to someone out there reading this that they realize that change is a troubling friend but can turn into your best if you let it. I have always been afraid of this lesson and looking at it now, even if I had to make one, I'd be frightened too. But I know it's necessary or I would still be that girl that walked into the bar, ready to fight any man that glanced at me. And I owe it all to him that I'm not. He's helped make me what I am and that still seems to one of my life's biggest ironies_

Kyo yawned softly and opened his eyes, scowling at her, “Oi, get closer, woman. It's warmer over here.” 

She opened her eyes and stuck out her tongue but scooted closer, their kids taking up minimal room, and he stroked a loose strand of blonde hair from her face, leaning forward and kissing her lips, “Good night, baby.” 

“Good night” she whispered back, “I love you.” 

He smiled softly as his eyes closed again, “I love you too.” 

_But I guess that's just a lesson in life..._

_G.Y. Douglas, 2059_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was completely back in 2010 and since, the mystery behind Nelly and Elli has been revealed. Now, if you haven't already read it, it's the last few chapters of This Love.


End file.
